The Game of Life
by theladyknight
Summary: Sora and Yamato get paired up with each other for an unusual school project. But falling in love was never included in the project’s description...COMPLETE!
1. Project Revealed

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Summary: Sora and Yamato get paired up with each other for an unusual school project. But falling in love was never included in the project's description...

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Another Sorato with Takari and Koumi as well. Sora, Yama, and Tai (seniors), Mimi and Koushiro (juniors), Hikari and Takeru (freshman). Please read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 1: Project Revealed

Child Development Course Description

1. Students will be responsible for completing all assignments on time  
2. Students must record at least four hours of logged babysitting time.  
3. Students must participate in the end of the year project, which will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

End of the year project, words you never really think will be that bad or awful until they come out of the teacher's mouth. I, Sora Takenouchi, in my last semester of high school was about to face one of the most challenging, innovative, unusual projects I will ever face in my life.

I signed up for Child Development at the end of my junior year after hearing the class was a breeze from my friend Jyou Kido. He had taken the class to help him with his future in the medical field and said it was one of the easiest classes our school offered. Hearing his words as well, my two best friends Taichi Yagami and Yamato Ishida also decided to take the class.

Taichi is captain of the soccer team and popular guy. I've known him forever and knew him back when he was a runty little goofball, though today he's not a runt but still a goof! Taichi is always there whenever I need him, and we'll probably be best friends for life. We tried the whole dating thing once back in freshman year, but after one date, decided we were much better off as friends.

Yamato, on the other hand, is lead singer of the Teen-Age Wolves and probably the most popular guy in school. He has enormous talent and the fact he's incredibly good-looking doesn't hurt either. I haven't known Yamato as long as Taichi, but we've become close friends, nonetheless. I can go to Yamato if I need some advice or just want to laugh. Yamato and I have never gone out, but I've always wondered what it would be like to date him…a girl can dream, can't she?

In addition to those two taking the class with me, their younger siblings Hikari Yagami and Takeru Takaishi, Yamato and Takeru's parents are divorced, had also signed up. Hikari and Takeru are both freshman and the best of friends. Everyone knows they like each other, with the exception of the two of them. We've tried everything to get them together, but yet our plans have all backfired.

Rounding out my group of friends are Koushiro Izumi and Mimi Tachikawa. The two of them are juniors and had decided to take the class because the rest of us were going to, and they already had plenty of study halls. Koushiro and Mimi have been dating since the beginning of the school year though they are the unlikeliest of pairs. Koushiro is the valedictorian of his class and has an astronomical IQ. Mimi, however, is apreppy cheerleader who would love to spend all day at the mall if she could. But they found love together and are very happy.

Quite honestly, Child Development is not a hard class. We rarely have homework, but when we do, it can get kind of nasty.

So here I am with a month before graduation thinking it would all be downhill from here when our teacher dropped the bomb on us. "Class, today I am going to announce our end of the year project."

My class full of students from all the grades shut up and stared at her. Another end of the year project? Two weeks ago we handed in a seven-page research paper regarding childhood emergencies and what to do if one happens.

"You mean we've got to do another one?" Taichi asked, voicing the opinion of the whole class.

"You will find, Mr. Yagami, after rereading the curriculum it is a requirement for this class."

"But wasn't the research paper we handed in our project?" Yamato questioned.

She smiled a him. "That was just a warm up. Now let me explain what the actual project is." She walked to the front of the room and sat on her desk, something most teachers would condone and never dream of doing themselves. "By a show of hands, I'd like to know how many of you are familiar with a board or computer game called _The Game of Life_?" (NOT MINE!)

Around 2/3 of our class raised their hands, including me. "What does this have to do with our project?" my friend Gwen asked.

Ms. Greene smiled again. "We are going to play an enhanced version of the Game of Life." Her statement was greeted by confused looks. "I have been developing a game that will take up the rest of the year, tying together everything we have been studying in class."

"How exactly?" It was my turn to interrupt.

Our teacher laughed. "Aren't you all inquisitive? You will each get a career, invest in different ventures, get married, and have a child or children. We're not just going to keep this a board game; it is going to become 3-D. For example, in the board game when you get married, a person of the opposite gender is added to your playing piece and the game continues. But in our game we are going to take it one step further. We will randomly select spouses who will be married in a faux ceremony that will include some dress-up clothes, rings, and even some kissing." She explained through the snickers of my classmates. Oh my God, I hope I end up with someone decent as my husband. "The rest of the game will be played off the roll of dice or the flip of a card and will determine what happens to your family."

She paused and looked around, searching for someone with a question. But we were all silent, wanting to know what other surprises were packed inside this game of hers. "So how exactly does this deal with Child Development? You will each be married and make decisions that affect the way you and particularly your children live life. At the time the seniors are done with school, we will stop the game wherever everyone is at and grading will commence. You will be judged based on the state of your family at the end of the game and how much you have learned over the next month. Though as it states in the syllabus, this will be graded on a pass/fail basis so basically your final grade is reflected on the way you and your spouse handle situations. Tomorrow the game begins, starting with the selection of husbands and wives, but plenty of twists and turns will be thrown in along the way. I'll give you the rest of class time as free time; there's only five minutes left."

Ms. Greene sat down on her desk chair allowing our stunned class to talk or finish up any homework for other classes. Taichi and the others all made their way to my desk, pulling out other desks to sit on or in the case of Yamato, taking a seat on my desktop. "Comfortable?" I questioned.

"Very." The blond responded with a grin.

Hikari looked around the group. "So what do you guys all think of this crazy game?"

"Definitely sounds interesting." Takeru answered.

Koushiro nodded "I'll say. It's a prodigious idea though really…"

"I hope I end up with Koushiro as my husband." Mimi said, winking at her boyfriend. "And I hope my ring is big! Oh, I wonder if they have diamond rings? I'm going to go ask Ms. Greene about that right now!" she got up, ignoring the weird stares we all gave her.

"I just hope I end up with some hot girl!" Taichi exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, so she can support you and the twelve kids you guys have." I replied innocently. "What job do you think Taichi will end up with?"

Yamato gave me his heart-melting smile. "Fast food worker."

"Garbage man." I responded. Soon Yamato and I were in a battle to see who could come up with the most outrageous job for Taichi. Among the rejects were zookeeper and hair product salesman. But Yamato came up with the prize right as the bell rang.

"Drag queen." We all burst into laugher as he grinned his adorable smile at me and gave me a high-five in celebration.

"We have a winner!" Hikari exclaimed.

Taichi folded his arms as we all walked out the doors on our way to the next class. "Drag queen. Very funny, blondie. We'll see just who has the last laugh tomorrow."

"We will." Yamato smirked.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them. "Let's go boys, physics class awaits." Tomorrow will definitely be interesting. I wonder whom I'm going to end up "marrying". Hopefully I'll end up with someone I can stand. And I wonder what all these twists are going to be…hopefully nothing too bad…

A/N: Thoughts? Please review. I promise next chapter will be more exciting, I mean everyone's getting hitched! I just needed to explain the purpose of the project here. Please review and to anyone who reads _To the Highest Bidder, _I'm almost done with the next chapter!


	2. Wedded Bliss

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: This story is so much fun to write! Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter one; please remember to review this one! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

_**tehee:** glad u like this!_

_**SilentStalker:** School is stressful, ahh, I go back in four days! Hope this is updated soon enough_

_**violet eyes rika:** Yeah Tai would have a problem throwing away the hair gel!_

_**Yume-dream:** I'd stay away from a zoo if Taichi was in charge of the animals!_

_**dragongirl18: **Thanks!_

_**Aino Yuy aka Usagi-Hater:** I've never been called a genius before, wowz, I kinda like the sound of that, j/k! Your idea about the careers, exactly what I was thinking...except I had to add a few changes._

_**Yama-sama:** I don't know how I manage to do it either...glad you like the story!_

_**Armitage:** Drag queen, don't ask me how I thought of it, but I thought it was funny...sounds like everyone agreed with me!_

_**maiden-of-dreams:** thanks!_

_**Lonewolfsblossom:** thanks, expect a new chapter of To the Highest Bidder soon!_

_**sorato4eva:** Thanks, hope you like what's to come!_

_**B E P Fergie:** here's the next chapter!_

_**crazyamzy:** We never did anything that exciting in junior high, but we did once get jobs and have to make "career" decisions about stuff to buy and all that._

Chapter 2: Wedded Bliss

I walked into my Child Development class with Taichi and Yamato, listening to our classmates talk excitedly about what was on the lesson plan for today. Curiosity was in the air, as everyone seemed to have different ideas about how we would get paired up. I spent every class yesterday, after finding out about the project, daydreaming about what kinds of things she would have in store for us.

Anticipation and fear were the two emotions that plagued me. In all my years of school we have never done something like this as a project. The whole idea was an ingenious masterpiece on the part of Ms. Greene. Seriously, she is a cool teacher. While most of our teachers would assign ten-page long research papers and get very nitpicky when handing out the final grades, in here we actually get to play a game.

Yet I am afraid. Afraid of whom I am going to get paired with. Afraid of the twists and turns she will throw in. Afraid of the emotional stress this game could bring. Okay, my fear of the random selection of spouses is an obvious one. What if Ms. Greene decides to just take out her grade book and match people up? Believe me there are some guys in this class I would not wish anyone get stuck with, though it will have to happen. Hopefully, I am not one of those girls. There are the most wanted guys, with my two best friends being on the top of the list. I wouldn't complain about getting stuck with Taichi or Yamato. Tai would make me laugh, and it would be like fulfilling my secret desire to go out with my blond friend, but there's no possible way I'll end up with one of them.

The two guys and I took our seats after discussing how we thought the weddings were going to take place. Taichi insisted, jokingly heswore,that Ms. Greene would go on the Internet and print out a certificate stating she had gotten her license to perform marriages, a la Joey off of_ Friends. _(Not mine!) Then, he explained, we would all legally be wed to the person we were paired up with, be forced to live with each other, and be forced to engage in the act of reproduction. Taichi's mind works in very odd ways.

Yamato thought she would call in the principal to perform the ceremony and explain to us, though in this classroom we were "married", outside we were not, meaning we can't be forced to engage in reproduction. I'm just going to try to forget the comment Taichi made in regards to Yamato's statement; but in the classroom…

My thought? Well, I think Ms. Greene is going to be performing the faux marriages, but she'll throw in some sort of surprise, though I have no idea what. The bell rang and for the first time all year, every single desk was occupied and no one was tardy.

"I'm impressed…you all must want to get this game underway. Well, I have no problem with that!" Ms. Greene pulled a stack of playing cards out of her bag along with a big poster. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we will start the game off by selecting your jobs and salaries. In my hand are fifty-two cards, each in a different suit with a different number or face on them, though you all knew that. Each card corresponds to one of fifty-two different occupations you each may get. I'm going to let you each pick a card and when everyone has one, the jobs will be revealed."

Our teacher walked up and down the aisles, fanning the cards upside-down and allowing us to choose which career we would end up with. When she got to me, I grabbed a card from the middle hoping I didn't end up with one of the jobs Yama and I had teased Taichi about yesterday. Koushiro, who sat in the very last seat, had the last choice of cards, though there were plenty left. With a class of twenty-four and there being fifty-two cards to start out with, you do the math.

"Okay. Koushiro, what card did you choose."

"The five of clubs." He responded. She hung a large poster with each card suit and number listed up on the board and pulled off the sticky note she had under five of clubs that hid the occupation from us.

Ms. Greene smiled at him. "It must be fate. Computer programmer." How the hell did he end up with the perfect job for him? Ms. Greene moved on to the people in front of him. After finishing the row, it was Hikari's turn.

"Jack of hearts."

"Teacher." Hikari smiled at her job. That was something she had always talked about considering for her future. Maybe this thing's rigged! Maybe I'll end up with athlete or something like that!

It was Taichi's turn now, and I was eagerly awaiting his occupation. "Nine of diamonds."

Ms. Greene coughed as she revealed Taichi's career. "Political ambassador."

Yamato and I burst into laughter followed shortly by the rest of the class, including the teacher. I love Taichi to death, but I could absolutely never see him doing that. I don't think he even knows what the word ambassador means! Maybe it's not rigged after all.

We all regained our composure, allowing the selection to continue. It was soon Mimi's turn. "Three of clubs."

"Cook." Mimi's face blanched. She can't even boil water; how in the world could she end up being a cook! Holy cow, I'm starting to get afraid of what my job will be! Takeru came next from my group of friends. "Author." Ms. Greene announced after he told her he possessed the queen of diamonds.

The selection worked its way up and down the rows and it was Yama's turn. He sat there waiting patiently for her to call on him. "Eight of spades."

"Astronaut." Ms. Greene said. Yamato gave her a funny look but nonetheless accepted it. My turn was coming up. I sit three desks behind my blond friend and could feel my legs start to shake, something that happens to me not out of nerves but out of anticipation.

"Sora, what card do you have?" She asked after giving the three people in front of me their careers.

"The ace of spades." I answered.

She smiled at me. "Fashion designer." I could hear Taichi and Yamato both snickering at my job. Fashion designer? Me? That was something Mimi would do, not me. I'm not a fashion guru. Sure I know what colors go with what colors and what looks good, but fashion designer? Oh my God!

Ms. Greene finished up with the rest of my classmate's jobs. Unfortunately drag queen was not an option. She walked back to her desk and pulled out a stack of paper, cut up in small pieces.

All we had to do was select a card and it would tell us our salary. She explained it wasn't as creative as the career choices, but there were a few more imaginative things to come today. Each card had a number between ten and one hundred thousand dollars for our yearly salary. I drew my card and breathed a sigh of relief, sixty thousand, that's not too bad. I can't wait to see what the others got.

Now it was finally the time everyone was waiting for: the selection of husbands and wives. "Okay, I'd ask all the men to come to the front of the classroom at this time, please." The guys all stood up and quickly made their way to the front of the room. "In my hand I hold twelve Popsicle sticks, one for each of you with the name of one of the twelve girls in the room on it. On the count of three, I will ask you to draw one of these sticks and you will have the name of your partner. Please listen closely, though; do not reveal whom you have. I will tell you more after everyone has made their selections. Ladies, if you would please start the counting."

"One, two, THREE!" we yelled and the guys grabbed wildly at the Popsicle sticks. Immediately looks of happiness filled some faces while disappointment was etched on other faces. Taichi looked absolutely horrified, and Yamato's eyes were darting towards the other side of the room. I guess, neither of them picked me, oh well…

"Okay, gentlemen, each of you needs to pick an engagement/wedding ring to give your partner and in the next ten minutes, find a creative way to propose to the girl you chose. I will be roaming around the room, making notes of the way you handle this situation. The guy with the most creative proposal along with his partner will get a surprise tomorrow." All ears perked up. This could be interesting.

"Um, can we switch partners?" Taichi asked. "Cause I'll gladly trade with Koushiro."

"No, Taichi, there is to be no trading."

"But…um, uh…I picked my sister." He tried. Ew…wait a minute, Taichi's ears are turning red, a sure sign that he's lying. That and the fact he always stutters when he lies. I wonder whom he got that's so bad he'd want to trade?

"Mr. Yagami, I can tell you're lying. The ears give it away. Let me repeat myself, there will be absolutely no trading." Taichi flushed.

"Shit." He muttered quietly but followed the others over to select the rings.

"Go ahead, boys, start proposing." I watched as he males of my class made their way to different girls. I hope I end up with someone decent who isn't going to embarrass me.

"Hey Sora." My friend Tony, the captain of the guy's tennis team said, walking up to me. I guess he wouldn't be too bad to get stuck with. "I have a question, you're friends with Danielle, right?" I nodded. "How could I propose to her?"

That surprised me. "Um, she loves sports…maybe you could institute some sort of sports phrase or lingo to make it creative."

"Thanks Sora! I'll give it a try!" he headed over toward Danielle's desk. I guess he's not my partner after all. It's only been a minute, not all the guys are going at once. I guess my partner is waiting.

"What's up?" Yamato's voice asked bringing me out of my thoughts as he took a seat in the desk in front of me.

I smiled. "Hey. Do you know what's up with Taichi? He was acting really strange; a lot stranger than usual."

Yama chuckled. "Just watch." He pointed over to where Taichi, Koushiro, and Takeru were. Koushiro was down on a knee proposing to…Gwen?

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed as Taichi got down in front of Mimi. 

"Meems, I know you love Koushiro, but unfortunately we're stuck together for this class. Koushiro is going to be asked to interfere a lot to keep me from going crazy so basically you can think of it as you're married to me but cheating on me with him, and I'm completely cool with it. So what do you say?" Okay, that has to officially be the most unique proposal. I'd say Taichi and Mimi have one the contest.

Mimi sighed. "It's not like I really have a choice in the matter. Alright." Taichi put the ring on her finger and she squealed. "Oh, at least it's a nice big ring!"

I rolled my eyes. That marriage would definitely be interesting to watch. Koushiro would be asked to interfere more than one time I'm sure. Taichi and Mimi get into petty arguments about all sorts of things. Something caught my eye, causing me to look away from them. "Aww! Your brother is proposing to Hikari! Maybe this will finally get the two of them together!"

"I'd say friendship is an awfully strong basis for love, wouldn't you?" I turned toward Yama to agree and I gasped. He was grinning at me from the ground on one knee. "Sora, you want to make me one hell of a lucky man? I'm definitely not complaining about choosing you; in fact I can't think of anyone better than you to be married to for the next month? So what do you say—marry me?"

I melted right there in my desk and felt my face turn an attractive shade of red. "God, why do you have to have so much damn charm?" He winked at me. "Yes, Yama, I'll marry you."

He smiled and slipped the ring that most likely came from a machine in a shopping mall onto my finger. "Good, it'd be pretty awkward if you didn't." I laughed. Oh my God! I'm so going to be loving the next month of this class. He sat back down in the desk in front of me as Ms. Greene clapped her hands.

"Okay people, we need to keep moving! Time is of the essence! It's now time for the marriage ceremonies to begin. I'd first ask each of the ladies to go pick up a ring for their soon-to-be husbands and then return to their seats."

I got up and grinned at Hikari. "So, prince charming proposed, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She responded. "But you're one to talk."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Come on, you mean you don't know?" Hikari asked. I shook my head. "The gang and I have been making bets on when you and Yamato would get your act together and hook up since back when you were freshmen. You guys are already past the last guess, Taichi's. He said he was positive you two would be together by the end of freshman year. Maybe this will be the push you two need."

I picked up a ring on the table and placed it in my hand before turning around. "Hikari, I can't believe you guys were making bets about my love life! Seriously, where do you get your basis for saying he and I should hook up?"

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, where have you been for the past four years? I guess that's why they say love is blind."

She went back to her seat next to Takeru, and I sat back down in my seat feeling very confused. "What's wrong?" Yama asked.

"Nothing." I lied as Ms. Greene stepped forward again.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, we are going to start the ceremony with the first guy who proposed, meaning Taichi. Mr. Yagami, would you and Mimi please come forward and put on the vest and veil." Taichi and Mimi walked forward, both sweating, and put on the articles of clothing, the vest on Tai and the veil on Mimi.

"Here's the drill. I'm going to ask you the whole will you take him/her thing and then once the I do's are done, we need to see a kiss. To make things a little interesting, I'm going to be giving a surprise tomorrow to the couple that kisses the longest…so you all may be thinking about that now."

Yama smirked at me. "Wanna go for it?"

"We've got nothing to lose." I answered. Oh my God, he gets to be my husband during class, and I get to kiss him shortly! Wait, why am I thinking like this...

"I'll say! She's giving me the chance to make out with you and get rewarded for it. I'd say it's a good choice."

I laughed and felt my face heat up again. "Sounds good to me." Why am I getting all these butterflies in my stomach? It's just Yamato I'm talking to. Yamato, who I've known for a long time and never had this feeling before…okay, maybe I have, but it's never been this strong.

Taichi and Mimi recited the I do's and when it came time for the kiss Taichi kissed his hand and put it up to Mimi's cheek. Ms. Greene rolled her eyes, but nonetheless accepted it. It was so much fun watching my classmates get hitched together. Koushiro gave Gwen a kiss on her hand, Takeru and Hikari pecked each others lips lightly, both looking like sunburned lobsters the whole time, and it seemed hardly anyone was going for the whole longest kiss thing. The only real competition it appeared was Danielle and Tony who put on one long lip lock. Finally it was time for the last couple, Yama and I.

We walked up to the front of the room slowly and put on the wedding attire set out. Ms. Greene asked me to take off the ring and hand it to her along with the one I picked out for Yamato. "Yamato Ishida, do you take Sora Takenouchi to be your temporarily lawfully wedded wife in this classroom and for any assignment extended outside this room?" She asked handing him my ring.

"I do." Yamato answered giving me a lopsided grin as he placed the ring on my finger. I smirked back at him.

"And do you Sora Takenouchi take Yamato Ishida to be your temporarily lawfully wedded husband in this classroom and for any assignment extended outside this room?"

"I do." I answered trying to control my heartbeat as I took the ring from Ms. Greene and placed it on his hand.

Ms. Greene smiled. "Now, by the power invested in me by well, me, I pronounce you temporarily husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

Yamato pushed the veil over my head, and I closed my eyes as his lips connected with mine, gently applying pressure to them. He wrapped his arms around me, and I locked my around his neck. I kissed him back, figuring we needed to make this longer than Tony and Danielle's in order to get the prize. The kiss grew deeper, and I gasped as Yama's tongue brushed against my teeth. I let it in and surprised myself by returning the favor. Our mouths battled it out for what seemed like an eternity before slowly he pulled away from me. I've gone out with guys before and been kissed before, but from the moment Yama's lips touched mine there was like a spark or something that I had never felt before.

I opened my eyes to see his smiling face and hear Ms. Greene announce we had won the prize for longest kiss, while Taichi and Mimi had won for most imaginative proposal. Yamato and I took off the veil and vest and returned to our seats. "Good class today, everyone. Your first assignment as husband and wife is to find five things you didn't know about your spouse and record them in your notebooks." The bell rang. "Have a good day!"

Yamato and I met up with the others outside the door. "Well, I know one thing I can put on my list." Yama whispered to me.

"What's that?" I answered back.

"You're one hell of a kisser." I blushed. "It's true." He winked as he walked over to save his brother from the wrath of Taichi, who was yelling at him for kissing his little sister. Hikari meanwhile walked over to me.

"Was that a good enough reason for you?" she asked referring to the question I'd asked her earlier.

"Just because he's a really good kisser doesn't mean it's a reason we should go out. I still have yet to hear a good one." I reasoned trying to get myself to believe it. Damn, what's happening to me?

"I'll let you figure that out on your own. I have a feeling this game is really going to be good for letting you know." She answered mysteriously.

As she walked off with Takeru, who had finally gotten free from Taichi, I couldn't help repeating her comment to myself. If that's so, I definitely can't wait to see what kinds of things I'm going to be finding out in the future…

A/N: Thoughts? Please review and let me know! And in case anyone is wondering, this isn't going to be a Michi; it's still a Koumi. I just thought it would be awfully funny to see Taichi marry Mimi. Please review!


	3. The Newlywed Game

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and The Newlywed Game—not mine!

A/N: Thank you to everyone for such an enthusiastic response...I just love hearing what you have to say! Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint you! Thank you so so much to everyone who reviewed this story so far!

_**Forest-Maiden:** Thanks, capturing their personalities was something I tried hard to do!_

_**Xymi Angel Ghost:** You're not the only one who liked the idea of a drag queen...I'll try and tie it in later...hehehe..._

_**Jksfaerie:** Glad you like it!_

_**Erica:** Thank you!_

_**Kattrin:** I guess it does sound kind of unrealistic but I'm kind of basing it off a few different ideas...and there's the whole fact they have a really odd teacher...but I'm glad you like it!_

_**Cris:** Thank you!_

_**Aino Yuy aka Usagi-Hater:** Thank you so much! I can't believe I actually made you like Mimi for like even a half a second. Wowz, I hope you like the rest!_

_**crazyamzy:** There are more contests on the way...hehehe_

_**blondie121147:** Maybe your bf should start taking lessons from Yama...J/K, maybe! Yeah that would be nerveracking in front of a bunch of people...their prize better be good!_

Chapter 3: The Newlywed Game

As the day went by, I stayed in this odd ecstatic utopia. I am Mrs. Yamato Ishida, well for the next month at least. How cool does that sound, Sora Ishida! My God, I'm starting to sound like some of Yama's obsessive fan girls. Next thing I'll be signing my name that way.

This whole thing is like way over my head. I can hardly believe any of this is true. It's like a dream. I am Sora Ishida, a fashion designer, and wife of Yamato Ishida, an astronaut. How unbelievable and yet utterly fantastic does that sound? Oh well, reality kicks back in. It's not like any of that will ever happen. I've got to stop daydreaming!

Have you ever noticed, though, when your head is up in the clouds you ALWAYS run smack dab into someone? "Ouch." I felt myself falling, only to be caught by a strong pair of arms as I walked into the lunchroom.

"Wow, you'd better be more careful. Next time someone else might have to catch you, which means I would end up feeling very jealous." Yama smirked as he placed me back on my feet.

"What do you mean?" I responded, not caring I was supposed to be heading into the lunch line, and Yama was supposed to be getting to class.

"Well, as your loving husband, it's my duty to watch out for you. I may just have to kill some guy if he decided to put his arms around you to catch you. Putting arms around you is a privilege reserved for me, no one else." I blushed at his statement and then caught what he had said. Reaching my hand up, I slapped his shoulder. Hard. "Ouch! Guess I deserved that one, huh?"

"Hell yeah you do!" I joked. "Wait, so you'd let me fall and crack my head open instead of letting some guy save my life?"

Yama shook his head. "Sora, Sora, Sora…why would you need some guy to do that when you've got me? I would be there in a heartbeat to catch you!"

I laughed at Yama's flirting and waved the back of my hand in front of his face. "Hello, Ishida, we're already married! The flirting stage has passed!"

He chucked and ruffled my hair. "Aw, Sor, what's the fun in that?" Yama pouted. "So speaking of our married life, I believe we have an assignment to work on. Pick you up after tennis and work on it at my place?"

I smiled. "Retard, you pick me up everyday!" One of the benefits of living next to Yama and Tai is that I never have to drive to school. Don't get me wrong; it's not like I don't have a car or don't like driving—I love driving—it's just Yama's got one sweet car, and he always offers to drive me places. So with that said, I opt to let him drive me to and from school and occasionally other places. It's like having my own personal chauffer! And believe me, it by far beats riding with Tai. It's downright scary with him behind the wheel. Last time I rode with him I almost lost my lunch! "Sounds good to me. But shouldn't you be getting to class?"

"Shit!" he exclaimed looking at the clock. "I'm five minutes late. Oh well, I'll just use the same excuse I always do: rabid fan girls, my teacher eats it up." I rolled my eyes at his excuse. "See you then Mrs. Ishida." He winked. Blushing, I got in the line and sunk into an even greater state of ecstasy…

I walked into class the next day, clutching my notebook and greeted by Hikari. "Learn anything interesting?"

She smiled. "You have no idea how hard it is to find something you don't know about your best friend!" I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, well, maybe you do. Let's just say it required a lot of digging."

Sitting down in my seat, I had to agree with her. Yama and I had worked for two hours trying to find five things about him and five things about me that were previously unknown.

The five things he learned about me: 1) I'm a good kisser; 2) I once broke a window at the Yagamis while playing a game of indoor soccer, blamed it on Tai, and got away with it; 3) I got on the wrong bus on the first day of school in kindergarten and it took my an hour and a half to get home; 4) The real reason I quit soccer; and 5) Actually I have thought of a career in art design, though never as a fashion designer.

Yamato insisted on putting the first one on the list. Then he'd said. "Are you going to put it on your list, that I'm a good kisser too, I mean?" What was I supposed to say? I knew it was true and knew my face had to be showing what I thought. But I didn't want him to know I've got a slight crush on him. So I had made up an excuse not to.

"Ms. Greene will think we're not taking this thing serious and being lazy if I write that too." I answered, avoiding the question he had asked. The truth…he's not a good kisser…he's an unbelievable kisser!

Number two on his list was a great memory to recall. Taichi and I were twelve and had just come back from this big soccer camp. We had decided to try out these new soccer moves they had taught us, and I kind of got a little carried away and kicked the ball into the window. Mrs. Yagami came in and wanted to know what happened. Taichi was so shocked that for once in his life, he was speechless! I did the first thing that came to my mind: pointed in Tai's direction. I don't think he's forgiven me for that yet.

The bus story was stupid, but Yama found it "cute". There was nothing cute about it…I should know! Next I informed him the real reason I had quit soccer, not the gay excuse I had given him and Tai about wanting to give something knew a try. The reason I quit was because of the people on the team. All the girls just assumed they could show up to the games and win. No one wanted to try or practice; they were all stuck up little rich girls. Not all of them were bad; they had just gotten in with the wrong crowd. Needless to say, I quit and took up tennis, finding myself much more comfortable with my new teammates and work ethic.

Finally, as to my dream about being a designer, well, I really can't say when that came about. I've always admired art in its many different forms. We would take class field trips to museums and while others would enjoy missing school and causing mayhem, I would marvel at the architectural structure and always find myself sketching little ideas I came up with. I guess even when I go shopping with Mimi and Hikari, I find myself looking at the outfits and just coming up with something I think would look cool in my mind. Maybe some sort of design is in my future.

My list of Yama's unknown facts was truly unknown. Fact number one about Yamato Ishida: he slept with the light on until he was five. I so could not believe that. I laughed and told him it was cute, much cuter than me getting lost on the first day of kindergarten.

Fact number two: he's part French. You'd think that in all the years we've known each other I would have sometime found out about his background. Obviously not.Yamato and Takeru's grandparents on the Takaishi side live in France and have their whole life. Maybe that's where he inherited all that charm…

Unknown fact number three: Yamato beat Taichi in soccer at the beginning of freshman year. Where was I at when this happened? I don't know all the facts, but I very much intend to razz Taichi about it…he always makes fun of Yama and tells him sports are for the tough guys, not the wimpy music players. We'll see who's wimpy…

For surprising fact number four, I found out Yama is a sweetheart. Okay, guess I already know that, I'd better rephrase it. Somehow Yamato Ishida is even sweeter than I thought. He and his band visit a nursing home once a month and entertain the elderly with some of their favorite songs. Damn, why can't all other guys be like him?

And finally I found out Yamato's greatest fear in life. No it's not snakes or spiders or anything most girls are afraid of. It's not blood or water or anything along those lines. The thing Yamato Ishida is deathly afraid of is, get this…clowns! That's right, clowns. Our conversation had been absolutely hilarious…

"What the hell! You're afraid of clowns?" I had exclaimed, not believing him at first.

He was dead serious. "Have you never seen the movie _It_?" (Not Mine!) He defended.

"Hello, we watched it together at my place. You were perfectly fine during the movie!" Clowns, that's the kind of thing Taichi would be terrified of!

Yama shook his head persistently. "Well I was fine until I went to sleep and had a dream about aclown with a bloody mouth filled with sharp teeth STALKING me!" he exclaimed. "Sora, you cannot tell anyone about this. Promise."

"Fine."

He smirked at me. "Seal it with a kiss?"

I felt my face heat up. He wants to kiss again? Wait, why am I disagreeing! "I guess." The last thing that entered my vision was Yama's adorable smile. His lips touched down on mine very briefly, igniting a stream of butterflies shooting up in my stomach. How does he do this?

He pulled away from me and smiled again. "You'd better keep your word…"

"I think I can handle it." I answered, surprised I could actually speak after that.

The bell rang snapping me back to the class period. Ms. Greene walked in and gave us all a large smile. "Everyone on time two days in a row. I must be doing something right."

"Do we get our prizes?" Taichi exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. He had to be expecting something very big. Ms. Greene nodded and motioned for my two best friends to come to the front of the room. She handed them each a slip of paper. "What!" Taichi exclaimed. "I owe you one prize which will be handed out at the end of the week? What's up with that?"

"I'm sorry, Taichi, but I spent so much time last night developing what we are going to do today that I completely forgot about the prizes I promised you, Mimi, Yamato, and Sora." Taichi sulked all the way to his seat. "From now on, anytime any couple wins a prize, it will be handed out at the end of the week. You only have to wait two more days, Taichi, and I have a feeling those two days will pass rather quickly, especially after what I have in store for today."

"What would that be?" Koushiro asked.

Ms. Greene's smile got even larger, if possible. "I would like all the ladies to come up to the front of the room and pick up five sheets of the cut-up poster board. Please grab a sharpie from my desk and stay up there. There you will find a list of five questions. Label one poster board one, the next two, and so on all the way to five. On the sheet labeled one, write your answer to question one. Do the same for question two and the others. When you're finished write your initials in the top left hand corner of each sheet, put them together face down with number one on the top and bring them over to me. Most importantly of all, do not confer with the other ladies and especially not with the gentlemen."

I looked at Hikari and Mimi as we walked to the front of the room and followed her instructions. The questions were interesting and kind of clever. I wonder what we're doing. Mimi, Hikari, and I were the last three done, and when we had each handed her our poster boards, she smiled. "Okay, now I would ask the gentlemen to do the same. You will find a list of five new questions, however."

Yamato gave me an odd look but walked to the front of the classroom with the other guys and completed the task. Ms. Greene was busy looking at each of our boards and writing our initials on the back of sheet number one. When each guy got done and handed her his answers, she would check her grade book for who each one's partner was, setting their sheets on top of their partners. When the last guy had finished she grabbed some more poster board and three markers. "Gang, we are going to play the Newlywed game."

My mouth fell open. Where does she come up with this kind of stuff? Ms. Greene explained the rules of the game and looked out at us. "Okay we need three couples to start us off. Any volunteers?"

Taichi's hand shot up in the air despite the pleading look Mimi was giving him. Knowing how easy it would be to beat the two of them, Yamato's arm flew into the air followed shortly by his little brother's. Hikari and I grinned at each other. This will definitely be interesting.

"Come right up ladies and gentlemen! Let the game begin." She pulled six desks to the front of the room. "Take a seat next to your partners. We are going to ask the men questions first. Each of you gets five new pieces of poster board and will write down what you think your wife wrote. Ladies, I'm going to be giving you your answers. Do not, I repeat, do not show these to your husband."

Ms. Greene handed out the new sheets. "Okay, here we go! Question number one: Gentlemen, if your girl was an article of clothing or accessory, excluding undergarments, what would she choose to be?"

The class began laughing as the mouths of all the guys dropped. Taichi, Yamato, and Takeru all furiously began writing. Oh my God, I'm afraid to see what the guys, especially these three will come up with…"I see the three of you are done. Taichi, since you are the closest to me, we'll start with you. What did you think Mimi would choose and offer a short explanation if you want to."

"Well," Taichi began flipping his paper over, "I have to say Mimi would be a shoe." I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Mimi is so going to let him have it! "She constantly goes shopping and is always on her feet going from store to store. She could shop for twenty four hours straight if you let her." Koushiro, sitting out in the audience, was nodding his head in agreement.

"Mimi, what did you choose." Mimi glared at Tai and held up her sign, revealing the word Purse.

"The purse controls everything and holds all the money. What good is shopping without a purse?" Mimi asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Taichi gave her a goofy grin and rolled his eyes, signifying for Ms. Greene to move onto Takeru.

"I chose earrings." Takeru answered, sure of his answer. "Hikari loves earrings." Taichi's little sister grinned and reveled her sign, reading earrings. Ms. Greene gave them a grin and marked a tally mark under their name; she had written all the names on the board with room to mark points underneath them.

"Well, I think Sora would be a jersey because she's involved in so many sports and is awesome at them all." I smiled sadly at Yama.

"I chose a headband. That's the first sports thing that came to mind."

"Eh, we'll get the point back." (A/N: Quick note, the teacher will ask them the question, and then they will stop and write it down, not answer immediately. I just didn't want to write, he wrote, she wrote over and over again...)

Ms. Greene smiled. "So at the end of round one, Takeru and Hikari have the lead. Question number two: what is your wife's favorite sport?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Yamato smirk. Then I remembered what I wrote. He won't be able to figure it out…"Taichi?" Ms. Greene asked.

"I'm confident the answer is cheerleading. Mimi is like second in command on the squad." Mimi's head fell into her hands. She turned her sign so we could all see the words "Shopping" in big letters. I guess they're not going to win. The team with the most points at the end gets a prize at the end of the week.

Takeru and Hikari both had written cheerleading, go figure. They're like obsessed with each other yet still have not gotten together. Maybe this part of the big game will show them what everyone else can see so obviously. "Yamato?" Ms. Greene asked.

"Tennis, but soccer is a close second. She loves them both." He explained.

You've got to bekidding me. Ishowed my sign to the class, revealing exactly what Yama wrote. He gave me a high five.

"Sora and Yamato are on the board. The score is now Takeru and Hikari two, Yamato and Sora one, and Taichi and Mimi zero. Question three, what would you expect on a romantic first day on Valentine's Day?"

"Flowers!" Taichi exclaimed hopefully after Ms. Greene gave him the okay to go.

"FINALLY!" Mimi shouted showing her sign. Takeru and Hikari yet again got the question right, both answering flowers. I hope that's not what Yama wrote…

"Stargazing…she hates flowers." I sighed with relief and showed my sign. "The Takaishis three, the Ishidas two, and the Yagamis have one. Question number four, what quality do you feel your man most exhibited when he proposed to you?"

"Sincerity. I was being completely honest." Taichi confirmed.

Ms. Greene laughed. "I believe you Taichi."

"Another round without a point," Mimi sighed, "because I wrote humor."

"Did you not think I was being sincere?" Taichi asked.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Come on, I usually associate humor with you, dork, not sincerity."

"Koushiro, please take her off my hands!" Taichi begged, causing the class to snicker and the boy genius to blush.

"Thoughtfulness. She told me she liked it." The younger blond answered.

"Yep!" Hikari exclaimed. Damn, those two know each other way too well it's almost unhealthy for them not to be together.

Yamato smirked at me. "Charm. That was one of the first words out of her mouth after I proposed." I nodded and held up my sign.

Ms. Greene moved us right along. "Final question, on a scale of one to ten, how compatible do you think you are with your partner?"

"Eleven!" Taichi shouted receiving a handful of laughs. "Actually I chose pi! Yes, I know what pi is…3.14159…Yes, we did cover that in Algebra I!" He answered the question we all were wondering by showing us his sign. Ireally wonder about him sometimes, now being one of those times.

"Well, I definitely didn't think of that." Mimi answered. Her piece of poster board read five.

"Nine." Takeru answered hesitantly.

"Nine." Hikari echoed.

Yamato looked at me. "Perfect ten." He thinks we are a ten…oh my God…

I shook my head not wanting to meet his gaze. "Eight." Quite honestly I thought we were a ten too, I just didn't want to write that. I was afraid of what he would say.

"I tend to have high expectations." He winked at me, and I felt myself blush.

Ms. Greene clapped her hands. "At the end of the girls section the score reads: Takeru and Hikari in the lead with five points, Yamato and Sora are close behind with three points, and Mimi and Taichi are bringing in the rear with one. Now it's the girls turn to answer the questions." She handed out the new board to the Hikari, Mimi, and me and gave the boys their answers. "Ladies, if your man was stranded on a desert island, what would he bring?"

This is an easy one…"Food!" Mimi exclaimed holding up her sign.

"Amen, woman!" Taichi answered. "We got another point!"

"Hikari?"

"Rope and a hatchet." Hikari answered. Takeru shook his head and for the first time, the two got a question wrong. His sign showed the words pocket knife.

"His guitar." I read off my sheet. Yama smiled at me and revealed the same answer.

"What kind of food would your man want to be?"

"Ham. Because he is one." Mimi explained.

Taichi folded his arms. "I am not. I chose meatballs…yum, does anyone know what's for lunch?"

We chose to ignore his statement and continued on. "Pasta." Hikari answered and this time Takeru nodded in agreement, giving his own answer.

It was my turn. "Chocolate." Definitely chocolate because he's as sweet as it.

"Chocolate it is." Yamato answered. Yes, two for two. I'm surprised at the little things we know about each other.

Ms. Greene looked at her paper. "Question three, what's your man's favorite school subject."

Mimi smiled cockily. "Lunch."

"We have a winner! No one answered my question about what we're having either! I'm hungry!" Taichi exclaimed.

"You're always hungry, big brother. Physical education is Takeru's favorite subject." Kari answered interrupting her brother.

Takeru smiled. "PE." They're on a roll.

"Music?" I asked Yamato. He shook his head and surprisingly his sign read physics. I never knew that…

"Question number four: if your guy could change one thing about himself what would it be?"

"The hair has so got to go!" Mimi answered. "Big bushy hair is so 1980's."

Taichi frowned. "Do not diss the hair! There's nothing wrong with it. My feet are too small." He answered receiving odd looks from the rest of the class.

"Okay, Hikari, please, please, give us your answer."

"His knees. Takeru's taken a lot of hits during basketball."

Takeru nodded again. "She's got it!"

"Sora?"

"He wouldn't change anything about himself. He likes looking at his appearance too much." I rolled my eyes. It is so true. No matter how much Yamato denies it, he's is obsessed about his appearance, well, at least about his hair.

Taichi nodded. "She nailed that baby!"

Yamato shook his head. "I'm do not like looking at my appearance. But actually that is what I wrote. I'm happy with myself."

Ms. Greene smiled. "Now that we have those, um…personal…issues out of the way, we will have the last question. Ladies, please write down what you think your husbands greatest fear is."

I smirked. Technically I'm not breaking my promise. I'm not telling people; I'm just writing it. Yamato caught my eye and he knew what I was planning. He shook his head, but I could tell hehad it written down.

"Mimi?" Ms. Greene asked.

"He's afraid of losing at soccer."

Taichi stood up. "Why would I be afraid of loosing at soccer when we are invincible?" Ms. Greene motioned for him to sit back down. "I chose ghosts."

I couldn't help myself. "Of all the things in this world, you are afraid of ghosts?"

"What! There are worse things I could be afraid of."

I grinned. "You're right Taichi. There are worse things…" I trailed off, looking at Yama.

"Ha!" he laughed. "I can't wait to see what she wrote for his!"

"Hikari, what do you think Takeru is afraid of."

Hikari revealed her sign. "I think it's sharks."

"Sharks?" Takeru questioned. "I've never seen a shark. I'm terrified of spiders."

"Sora. What is Yamato afraid of?"

I showed my sign, keeping my word about not saying anything. "CLOWNS! Yamato is afraid of clowns!" Taichi roared, which set the whole class off.

Yama smiled embarrassedly. "At least we got the question right." His sign too said clowns.

When Ms. Greene had regained her composure, she quieted the class. "Okay, it's time to have the final scores. Finishing in third place with a total of three points, give it up for Taichi and Mimi!" the class cheered as the two bowed. "In second place with a total of seven points, Yamato and Sora." Yama offered me his hand and we got up and bowed before heading back to our seats. "And finishing in first after missing only two questions, give it up for Takeru and Hikari!"

The two blushed and bowed before heading back to their seats. Ms. Greene called forth three more couples and we listened to their answers. No one came close to the high mark Takeru and Hikari had set. As the bell rang, Ms. Greene, announced we would finish this part of the game tomorrow and see whom the winners were.

Yama walked over to me and draped his arm around my back. "We didn't do too bad, Sor."

"No we didn't. You're not mad at me for the whole clown thing are you?"

He grinned his best grin at me. "I could never be mad at you; it's too hard. Believe me, I've tried but it just doesn't work."

I blushed again. "If you say so…"

He chuckled. "Come on, next class awaits. I'm going to walk you there to make sure I'm there to catch you if you fall, Mrs. Ishida."

That's the second time he's called me that. It sounds so much better when he says it. Mrs. Ishida. "Lead the way, Mr. Ishida." I answered…

A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? I won't know if you don't review!


	4. Family Time

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

A/N: I finally have the Internet again at my house and now it's acting up again! At least I got this chapter posted. Read and Review!

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ Here's the next chapter! It would be cool to do something like this in school as long as I ended up with adecent guy! Glad you like it!_

**_Cris:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Yume-dream:_**_ Meatball just seemed like the perfect description of Taichi though I don't know why…_

**_Tehee:_**_ They are alone this chapter!_

**_Takari809:_**_ Glad you like it!_

**_Kat:_**_ Your wish will be granted in this chapter!_

**_Karone-sakura:_**_ Thank you!_

**_Aino Yuy aka Usagi-Hater:_**_ My sophomore English teacher was afraid of clowns and I thought it'd be funny to put in. I completely got what you were saying about the whole Mimi deal, both the first time and last review I just have a way of messing up what I want to say when I write it…heh…_

**_Xymi Angel Ghost:_**_ No games this chapter but plenty of sorato!_

**_Ms. Unknown:_**_ Clowns, you gotta love them…or hate them…one of the two!_

**_Inconnu:_**_ Thanks for all the reviews! You run into doorframes? I run into tables and chairs! I'm fine until I round a corner and end up hitting a table or chair and end up with a stubbed toe or bruise!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Mimi would consider shopping a sport…_

Chapter 4: Family Time

Don't you just hate it when after a fun class period or two your teacher just has to go and spoil it with a really dull one? Thursday was spent watching our classmates complete the Newlywed Game, though no one beat the score Takeru and Hikari had set.

Want to hear something surprising: Yama and I finished with the second highest total. Okay, so we're best friends, but it's not like our conversations each weekend revolve around what kind of food we think each other is.

Maybe there's something more we have yet to discover about our relationship. Maybe, just maybe, this game actually going to show Yama and me that; well, that is if there's something more there. What if Hikari was right when she said this game would show Yama andme what we've supposedly been missing?

I certainly have been thinking a lot about my blond-haired best friend since this class project began. But, seriously, how could I not! Yamato is so sweet in every possible way imaginable. I love his obvious flirting, his perfect manners, the way he always seems to leave me breathless…oh my God, could I be falling for my best friend or worse, could I have fallen a while a go and not realized it?

"Anybody in there? I know this movie is gay, but I never thought I would see the day you fell asleep in class." A voice whispered in my ear, causing my cheeks to heat up and butterflies to gather in my stomach.

"Sorry, Yama. I was just thinking about some things." Like you…

He chuckled lightly so Ms. Greene wouldn't notice we were talking through the filmstrip we were currently watching. "Why did she choose this for us to do today? She usually is full of such good ideas."

"I know." I responded. "Maybe she's got…"

"Mr. Ishida, Mrs. Ishida, as flattered as I am that you approve of my teaching methods, I would rather have you pay attention to the filmstrip and continue your conversation later." Ms. Greene whispered in our ears.

Yama and I both nodded and out of the corner of my eye, I caught the blond blushing. I wonder why. My cheeks were stained red still from the name Ms. Greene had called me. Mrs. Ishida, wow, I get goose bumps every time someone calls me that.

I faced straight ahead, turning my attention back to the boring movie. Today, the last day of the week, found us watching an old filmstrip that had to have been made in the 1980's. This film was all about selecting a residence, figuring out your basic needs, managing money, and starting a family with "the one you'll love forever more." What a corny piece of crap!

Ms. Greene had explained that today's lesson plan was going to have a more down to earth vibe than the past few had. "It's only to cover some areas you all will need to be concerned about. Take some notes over the film because they'll be helpful when you receive your assignment. We'll continue with the more fun lessons next week." She had said as we all walked into class.

In addition to the change of lessons, there was also a change in our room's arrangement. No longer were there the desks in rows, rather they were lined up in pairs of two, stretching all around the room. These were our houses inside of school, at least. For today, there was no seating chart so to speak, other than with our spouse. Next week we would officially move in to our "neighborhoods" and meet the neighbors. I really wonder where Ms. Greene comes up with this stuff.

I looked down at my blank piece of paper realizing I should probably take a few notes. Who knew what kind of assignment she would hand out. Surprisingly, my paper was not blank anymore. I glanced at Yamato's smiling face before focusing back on the paper.

_So, Mrs. Ishida, what crazy assignment do you suppose she'll spring on us today?_

He always refers to me as that though I can't say I really mind…(A/N: What Yama writes is in italics, what Sora writes is in bold type, and her regular narration is in normal font)

**I don't know Mr. Ishida, what do you think? And what's with these formalities? Mrs. Ishida?**

Yamato smiled at me._ Hopefully something interesting and creative that requires us to work together again…as to the name, I just like the sound of it. Sora Ishida, it's got a ring…_

My heart has officially melted. That has got to be the sweetest thing he has ever said…

**Sora Ishida…I guess it doesn't sound too bad.**

_You guess, I think it sounds awesome! Definitely much better than Sora Yagami or Sora Izumi. Yes, by far Sora Ishida is the best._

**If you insist, Yamato Ishida. And what do you think of the others names?**

_Hmm…Mimi Yagami, wow, that's just screwed up. Gwen Izumi, nah…that doesn't work either. Hikari Takaishi, well that doesn't sound horrible but nothing beats Sora Ishida!_

Damn bad habit of blushing…

**FLIRT!**

_I take that as a compliment!_

**You would…**

_But is it working?_

**What?**

_My flirting?_

Hell yeah…but I'm not going to say that!

**Maybe…**

Yamato gaped at me, and I gave him a coy smile. Teasing him is so much fun! The lights flickered on before Yama could answer my last response.

"Okay, class that's it for today. Your assignment for this weekend is to get together with your spouse and plot out just what the movie was talking about: your needs, your wants, your budget, what your plans for the future are, the works. Also, most importantly, you must go through the classified ads in the paper and settle on a house or apartment the two of you will "buy". Remember you're going to have to make the best possible choice for your families, meaning children as well."

"Before the bell rings I'm going to hand out some worksheets that will help guide you. Refer to your notes, which you should have been taking," her eyes flashed in the direction of Yama and me, "for anything else. Also I will have some newspapers filled with house and apartment listings as well as ads for other necessities or wants. Make sure you get this assignment done! This information is very important for a few of the future things we will be doing."

Mimi raised her hand. "You mean I have to spend time with him this weekend? I have other plans?" she exclaimed, pointing at Taichi.

"Well, excuse me!" Taichi yelled back. "Do you really think I want to spend anymore time with this crazy pink-obsessed woman?"

"Is divorce an option?" Mimi pleaded.

Taichi nodded. "For once I agree with the crazy lady. Please, let us get a divorce! I'll even let her take the Ferrari!" (Not mine!)

Mimi turned towards him. "Ferrari…no we're going to have a pink BMW Beatle." (Not mine either!)

"What the hell!" Taichi responded completely ignoring the coughing fit Ms. Greene had broken into. "Everything with you is pink! Pink this! Pink that! 'Oh, Taichi, can our mailbox be pink?' Koushiro how do you put up her? Is there some kind of secret that I should know?"

All the guys snickered and turned to face the boy genius. "Yes Koushiro, do tell. What is the secret that we call women?" Takeru asked.

Koushiro glared at him and then back to Taichi. "You just have to understand a woman. Obviously, Taichi, you don't understand Mimi that well."

"Obviously." Tai responded, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You can't tell me that's it, Koushiro."

The redheaded boy tugged lightly at his collar. "Um, well, you see…the secret about women is…um…" The bell rang. "Whoops! I've got to go to physical education, no time to spare, man I just love that class. I hear we're running the mile today! See you all later!" Koushiro sprinted out the room.

Yama turned to me and smirked. "I have a strong feeling by the end of next period Koushiro's not going to be "loving" PE."

"That's true." I responded as we walked out of class. "So when are we going to work on our project?"

"Tonight? My place? 7:00?" Yamato asked.

"Aww…I never get to see Sora anymore. Why do you get to hog her, Yamato?" Taichi asked coming up behind us with Mimi following behind.

"She's my partner dumb ass."

"So, Mimi's my partner, but I don't spend all the time with her." Taichi pointed out.

Yama and I both laughed. "Did you not hear your own rant in class?" I asked.

Taichi flushed. "I'm offended by that comment, Sora."

I rolled my eyes. "Taichi, the reason your and Mimi's "marital life" is headed for a failing grade is because you two lack communication. Try talking and listening to each other before laughing at the other's ideas." Yama said and then leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Though between the two of them, there are plenty of laughable ideas."

Smirking, I nodded in agreement. That was definitely true. "And your relationship with Sora is peachy keen?" Mimi questioned.

"Of course." Yama boasted. "Our relationship is perfect!"

"Yeah, probably because this whole marriage thing means your feelings for each other are finally coming out into the open." Taichi replied.

"What?" Yamato and I asked in unison, glancing at each other. What is he going on about? The others couldn't possibly know what's been going on inside my head.

Mimi clamped a hand over her husband's mouth. "Ignore him. We'll try that whole talk and listen thing. Who knows, maybe it'll work. Talk to you two later!" she exclaimed, dragging Taichi away.

Yama and I started towards our next class. "Okay, that was a little odd." I began.

"You're telling me." He chuckled. "Our best friend has gotten hit on the head one too many times with a soccer ball."

"Uh huh." I replied. "Oh, and to your other questions: yes, yes, and yes."

The blond smiled at me as we walked into our next class. "It's a date then…"

* * *

Walking up to Yamato's apartment, I felt my nerves kick in. Okay, why should this be different than any other time? I go over to Yama's place all the time, and we're alone all the time. Why am I getting so nervous and excited?

"Hey." He answered, opening the door and gesturing for me to come in. I let out a laugh.

"What's with this?" I asked, fingering the frilling pink apron that adorned him.

Yamato blushed. "I was just putting the finishing touches on supper."

"Ooh, what are we having? It smells good!"

Yamato chuckled and shut the door. "You'll just have to wait and see." The next thing I knew, his hands covered my eyes.

"Now that's uncalled for." I pouted.

"Come now," he whispered, brushing his lips against my ear, "don't you want to be surprised?"

My cheeks began to grow warm from the contact. "No."

"But I want to surprise you." He responded, slowly leading me into the kitchen so I wouldn't bump into anything.

"Yama…" I began but he silenced me.

"Here we go…" I felt his hands unhurriedly leave my eyes and gasped at the sight in front of me.

"Oh my God, you made this all for me?"

He smiled. "In celebration of our first successful week of husband and wife. And the fact that you managed to snag us the best prize." I had completely forgotten about that. Ms. Greene had Mimi, Hikari, and I go up to the front of the classroom at the beginning of class and select a colored pen out of a sack. Each pen represented a different prize, a monetary unit actually. Mimi picked a green pen, resulting in $800, Hikari took the pink pen, which was worth $700, and I chose the red pen, worth $1000. Ms. Greene told us this money was to be used with our assignment tonight. I understand what it's for now.

I sat down across from Yamato and could feel my mouth begin to water. Yum! He had cooked my favorite foods and had all sorts of things out for us to eat. "This is so awesome! Thank you, Yama!"

"No problem. Now start eating before all my hard work goes to waste!" he exclaimed.

I don't know how to describe the meal other than fantastic. Maybe Yamato should have gotten the profession of chef instead of Mimi. God, he's going to make some woman very lucky. He's hot, sweet, talented, and can cook! What more do you want in a man?

When we had finished, we spent a good hour cleaning up after the mess we made. It wouldn't have taken so long, had we not have gotten into a little bit of a food fight halfway through. For the record, it was all Yama's fault! He threw the spaghetti sauce at me; what was I supposed to do, let him get away with it? Basically in the end we were both incredibly wet, and full of sauces, puddings, ketchup, mustard, chocolate syrup and a bunch of other foods. Nonetheless, we did get the mess cleaned up and could begin our homework.

"Wow, do you really want me to sit down on your furniture wearing this?" I asked, looking down at my…colorful…outfit.

Yama grinned. "I'll get you something to wear. Come with me."

We walked into his room and he opened one of his dresser drawers, laughing as he pulled out some clothes. "Everything I have is going to be quite big on you."

"It's no biggie." I answered. "Anything will work."

He snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea." Yamato picked up a dark black shirt with a silver wolf paw and the letters TTW on the front. My mouth nearly dropped to the ground. It was his band's trademark t-shirt that they only wore for big events. "This should fit."

"But…" I began helplessly. Yama about flipped every time Taichi, Takeru, or any of our friends touched the shirt, yet here he was offering it to me.

He chuckled. "Go on. I'll leave so you can change." Before he left, he pulled out a pair of white sweatpants.

As the door shut, I could only stare at the clothes. Get a hold of yourself, Takenouchi! I've worn Yama's clothes before. Why am I acting so giddy and flustered now!

"Sor, what's taking so long? Geez, women!" Yamato's comment came from outside the door.

Finally I regained my composure and changed into the clothes. The pants were nice and warm though big on me. Rolling them up around the waist, I pulled my shirt off and put his on. Breathing in his wonderful cologne, I walked over to the door and pulled it open as quietly as I could. I saw Yamato's back to me. Perfect…

"What the hell!" he exclaimed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and jumped onto his back.

"Carry me." I answered. He leaned back so I would begin to fall off. I smirked. "You wouldn't dare drop me!"

Yama mock glared at me before wrapping his arms around my legs. "You're right; I wouldn't." He carried me into the living room to where I had left all the stuff Ms. Greene handed out. "Here you are, miss." Yama let me off then sat down on top of me.

"Get off!" I shrieked beginning to laugh. "You're going to crush me!"

"Sor, why would I do something like that?"

"Because you're fat!"

He pouted but got off me, instead lying down on the couch with his head in my lap, looking directly up at me. "I am not fat."

Looking into his blue orbs, I turned away blushing. "No, you're not fat."

"I know." He boasted. "I'm perfect."

"Perfect my ass!" I replied.

Yamato frowned. "Name one flaw!"

Shit. "Um…uh…" I began stuttering. Yama flashed me his killer grin. Oh God, what can I say? I can't think of anything obvious right now. There's plenty of things he does problems with, just like all other humans. None of us are perfect. But why is it right now I can't think of a single thing? His gorgeous persona is blinding all my rational thought.

"I'm waiting…" he trailed off.

"Well…it's, uh…um…you're full of yourself!" I finally said though I was having quite a hard time believing it. The only time he does that is during his obvious flirting, not that I really mind though.

"If you say so, Sor."

"Yes I say so, Yamato." I paused. "Shouldn't we get started?"

"Do we have to?"

I laughed. "You sound like Taichi!"

"No I don't! I'm perfectly happy with our marriage. No complaints!"

"Yama, come on. We need to get working. It's already 8:30."

"Do you have to be home at a certain time?"

I shook my head. "No, Mom's hosting this dinner party for some of her friends and told me not to come home for awhile."

"Well, good. I guess that means we don't have to get started yet!" Yama replied happily.

I rolled my eyes. "Yama, I'm serious!"

"So am I!" he chuckled. "Come on, Sor, if we don't finish tonight then we can just work on it tomorrow night."

Knowing I wouldn't be able to change his mind and very happy about the prospect of spending another night with the blond, I finally gave in. "All right, but we've got to get at least some of it done tonight."

Yama groaned. "Fine." He rolled over and grabbed the first of three sheets. "We'll do this one tonight and the other two tomorrow. Then we can watch _Meet the Parents._" (Not mine!)

"We've watched that movie like a hundred times!"

Yama grinned. "So? I could never get sick of watching it! Besides _Meet the Fockers _(Not mine either!) comes out soon!" I sighed in defeat. "I knew you'd agree! Okay, here's what the sheet says. Imagine, ooh, this'll be easy! Imagine you and your wife are ready to start on this journey we like to call married life. What is your house like? What kinds of things do you want at your residence? How many children do you want?"

"That's it?"

"Looks that way! I chose a good worksheet!" I rolled my eyes. "Okay, we are going to live in a nice big house on the outskirts of town. We're going to have a large tennis court overlooking a pool and beautiful lawn. Inside, there's going to be lots of rooms…"

"…and there are going to be bright vibrant colors in each room. There will be all the necessities, plus a large screen plasma TV, DVD player, computer, and all sorts of other things." I added.

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Two kids." We both said in unison. He grinned up at me and I felt myself blush again. Is he like reading my mind? Everything he said has been something I've agreed with!

"One boy and one girl. The girl is going to have your knockout body but my hair and eye colors. The boy is going to have my charm but your hair and eye color."

"That sounds good." I answered as my cheeks turned a fresh shade of red.

He grinned again. "And I'm going to build a room for you so you build your designing empire out of the home so you'll never be far away from the kids and me."

"Yama, that's so nice!" I gushed. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." He replied giving my hand a kiss. "Now come on, we've answered all the questions on here. Now can we watch the movie?"

I laughed. "Now we can watch the movie…"

* * *

Nearly an hour later, by the end of the movie, my head was resting against Yama's chest and eyes were beginning to shut. We were now both sitting on the couch and the lights were off. "Sora," he whispered in my ear.

"What?" I yawned.

"Don't go to sleep…"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to carry you home!" He reached over and began tickling my sides, causing me to fully wake up.

"Yama, no!" I laughed as he tickled me harder, knowing the places I was most ticklish. "Yama!"

By now our positions on the couch had definitely shifted. I had slumped down to my back and Yama was perched above me. We were both laughing hard and suddenly the blond lost his balance, bringing him down on top of me. We stopped our laughing and my heart began beating faster.

Yama's eyes connected with mine and slowly our lips met, meeting in the middle, neither of us knowing who had started the kiss. Lightly our lips brushed each other's until he kissed me harder and hungrier. I had lost all sense and though my conscious told me to stop, I did no such thing. I kissed him back with as much force, wrapping my arms around his neck for support and playing with his hair. I let out a gasp as his tongue brushed against my lips, and I let it in.

The kissing continued to grow in passion as neither of us let go, instead kissing each otherharder. Yamato ran his hands through my hair and then trailed his hand down to my cheek. I realized we both needed a breath of air and finally managed to control myself. Our kisses began to die down, and slowly they came to an end. We pulled apart, each breathing heavily and blushing quite noticeably.

Yama looked up at me. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know." I whispered back.

"I don't know either. Do you regret it?"

Pausing I looked up into his eyes. "N..no." I managed.

He smiled. "I don't either. But let's not mention this to anyone, okay?" I nodded. "Let's finish the movie. You were a good pillow."

We both laughed, and he got off me so we could sit back up. I rested my head against him again...hoping it wouldn't be too awkward...and turned my attention back to the movie though something lurked in my mind. If he didn't mind the kiss and I didn't mind it, could there be something more we have just discovered?…

A/N: Let me know what you think! Please review and a big thank you to everyone who does!


	5. Return of the Games

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**_Aino Yuy aka Usagi-Hater:_**_ Yep, you do gotta love the make out scenes…_

**_Xymi Angel Ghost:_**_ The games return this chapter…_

**_Hamano Michiyo:_**_ It's a Koumi but there'll be some Michi scenes in here every now and then_

**_karone-sakura:_**_ Thanks!_

_**sorato4eva:** glad you like it!_

**_Chiara:_**_ You think it's one of the best…awwww…thanks!_

**_YamatoFangirl: _**_I'll see what I can do, there's a little Michi in this chapter…_

**_Princesstphanie:_**_ There's much more to come!_

**_Deathraveness: _**_More kissing in this chapter!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ A pink mailbox is definitely odd…_

**_Scorpion05:_**_ Taichi and Mimi get into some more fights in here…_

**_Forest-Maiden:_**_ Thanks! I can't wait for that part either…I'd better start planning ahead so I know what's going to happen…_

Chapter 5: Return of the Games

As soon as the movie wrapped up, I put my shoes on and said goodbye to the blond.

After once again, promising not to tell anyone about our kiss and agreeing on a time to work on the project, I left.

The whole way home, after running into a mailbox and nearly setting off some dude's car alarm, thoughts of Yamato filled my head. Like I said before, I have a bad habit of running into people or things when I'm deep in thought.

I have so much on my mind. When Yamato and I kissed, both for the first time in school and at his apartment, it was like a spark jolted between us, something I have never felt with anyone before. I mean, I've kissed other guys, and I'll use Taichi as an example. When we kissed, there was nothing too special and exciting other than the fact it was my first kiss. But with Yama…it just felt so right.

Can two best friends take things a step further and make it work?

This is all so confusing; I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. Maybe I should get some sleep…

Sunday passed quickly. Yama and I met at the park along with Taichi, Mimi, Takeru, Hikari, Koushiro, and Gwen. Yamato and I had agreed to call them up and work on everything together after seeing what some of the paper's called for.

We met at the park under the oak tree and attempted to sort everything out. First up, finances.

It appeared quite obvious Yama and I were the best off out of everyone. Our salaries were much higher than most of the others. We had also gotten that thousand dollar bonus as a prize.

"This is a load of crap!" Taichi shouted, disturbing the peace and causing two old ladies sitting on a bench to grab their canes and walk away.

Hikari nodded. "For once I agree with you big brother. How did Sora and Yama get everything?"

"Dude, it was the luck of the draw." Yamato answered. "It's not my fault or Sora's."

I folded my arms. "Yeah, don't blame us for that."

"I guess you're right. My salary surprisingly matches up with my career. Most teachers only make about $20,000." Hikari responded, rather glum.

Takeru sighed. "Even if my salary is lousy, I'm glad I got the job I did. Being a writer is something I've always considered."

"I know the feeling. A computer programmer is right up my alley. It was prodigious luck on my part that my salary about fits it too." Koushiro described. I had to agree with him. He was making around $60,000.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "At least you guys all got jobs that fit you and decent salaries. I have a shitty job and look who I'm married too."

"Taichi's really not a bad guy…" I stated.

"Yeah," Yama added. "Sure he eats a lot and is going to wipe out your food budget. And he'll probably make a bigger mess than any of the kids you have and…" I clamped a hand over the blonde's mouth.

"Yama, you're not helping." I removed my hand and he gave me his most charming smile.

"You're lucky to be married to Tai, Mimi." I gave Yama a look and could see him grinning at me.

Mimi put her hands on her hips. "Give me five good reasons!"

Taichi held up a hand and began holding out fingers with each point. "Number one, I'm incredibly good-looking. Number two, I can make anyone laugh. And numbers three through five: I'm lovable, huggable, and oh so cuddly."

Takeru laughed. "Don't forget modest. And you ripped those last three off _Lilo and Stitch!_" (Not mine!)

Koushiro sweat dropped. "You're quoting lines from an animated movie?"

"Well, that's the Taichi we all know…" Hikari began.

"…and love." Was my answer.

Taichi grinned. "I know. I'm irresistible. No autographs, please."

"Hey! That's my line!" Yama exclaimed.

"Great, just what we need, another Yamato." I muttered sarcastically.

The blond wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Now why exactly would that be bad?"

"Yeah, but it would be better if you decided to look like me instead, Yama." Taichi insisted, also draping an arm around me. "I'm the good-looking one chick's dig."

"That would be me again, loser." Yama countered.

Taichi laughed. "Dude, I'm the good-looking one here."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am!"

"No you're not!"

"Yes I am!"

Gwen finally decided to speak up, though she had a hard time doing so through her laughter. "As touching as this is, can we please get back to work?"

Yamato and Taichi both stopped arguing. "Well, there's only one way to solve this." Yamato said.

"I agree."

"SORA!"

Mimi, Hikari, Takeru, and Koushiro all cracked up. "Is that how they solve their arguments?" an astonished Gwen asked.

Koushiro nodded. "Yep. Sora breaks up all their fights. It's been like this forever. I feel pretty sorry for her because between Taichi and Yamato, there are some really stupid fights."

"I'm afraid to ask what they're about." Gwen replied.

"Let's see, there was the one about who uses the most hair gel. The one about who's smarter. The one about who's stronger. The one about the best dancer; the list goes on and on." Hikari answered.

Mimi rolled her eyes again and looked at her watch. "This is getting ridiculous! We're never going to get our work done! Sora, who's hotter, Yama or Tai?"

"Even though we already know who she's going to choose because she chooses him every time." Takeru whispered to Hikari. I glared at the two.

"Yamato." came my answer.

Taichi's mouth dropped. "Now Sora, it's illogical and inconceivable you'd choose Yamato as the hotter of the two of us. Not to mention it's even a bit unconstitutional! Where do you justify choosing Yamato? You always choose Yamato. Whatever happened to liberty and justice for all? Aren't you for once going say, 'I choose Taichi'! It's just not fair! What happened to equality?"

"Where is he getting this? He sounds like our government teacher." I whispered to Yama.

"Who knows? Maybe there is a politician in him…who would have thought Taichi would pay attention in school. Though I think he's mixing up the constitution with the American Pledge of Allegiance."

"Guys can we PLEASE get to work?" Gwen begged.

Hikari nodded. "I think we've had our share of fun. Let's get back to the work. Taichi calm down!"

Taichi shut up, but I could still here him mumbling things about bribery from Yamato and perjury on my part. He's either paid attention in class or watched too many episodes of _Judge Judy._ (Not mine!)

The others and I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out how to meet all our needs and get everything sorted out. Yama and I, both having the dream of a large house, had to settle for an apartment for now, waiting and setting aside some money. Our plan, which we were instructed to write in our notebooks, was to keep some money saved up so we could one day build a large house.

The apartment we chose from the classified ads was really quite nice. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and a few other expected qualities. The pricing wasn't that bad either, meaning we could put more money aside for the other house and start a savings bond for our children. Ms. Greene hadn't informed us when she would throw children into the game, but I had a feeling it would be soon. Yama and I both agreed we may as well keep some money in reserve for them as well.

Everything seemed so perfect. It was great that everything was working out, but it made me wonder. How is it that everything seems so great? There's gotta be a catch somewhere. I have a feeling if it doesn't show up now, it will soon.

Planning everything out took a lot of work and cooperation on our part. Koushiro had already broken up a couple of fights between Taichi and Mimi regarding coloring of certain objects, take a wild guess at what Mimi was suggesting, and where they would live, what they would buy; basically most of the things on the list.

The rest of us weren't having the greatest luck either. Yamato and I had to go over calculations repetitively because something didn't add up or we were short money in certain places.

All in all, I think we got everything to work out. The two of us were the first ones done and had somehow accomplished everything the paper's asked of us with money to spare. We had gotten into a few little debates over some necessities, but at the end managed to compromise on them. I guess that's what marriage is about, compromise. Try telling that to Tai and Mimi.

He and I said our goodbyes and began walking to our apartments. As I walked I thought of everything we had done. The blond and I had made some smart decisions regarding our money and things to buy with it. We had chosen a back-up apartment, just as good as the original, in case Ms. Greene checked everyone's apartments and houses. Obviously, two families can't live in the same place. Food budgets, tax issues, savings bonds, and stocks had also been decided.

"I think we did good, Sor. I have a strong feeling we'll be getting a passing grade in this class." He said, as we reached my apartment.

"Me too." I nodded. "That was a lot of work though, figuring everything out."

"Yeah, but I think it brought each of us closer together. By the time we left, Taichi and Mimi weren't even making Koushiro sit between them."

I smiled. "Poor Gwen."

"It seems she gets a kick out of the whole thing. But I bet she's hoping this won't happen in real life."

"But you're right about the whole togetherness thing. Takeru and Hikari looked quite at home working on all this together."

The blond snickered. "That's because they know in the future they will be married. Well, once Takeru gets the guts up to ask her out."

"It'll happen one of these days." I answered. "We're all waiting for it."

He smiled. "Yeah. But most of all, I think its brought…" he glanced at his watch, "Shit! I was supposed to be at band practice fifteen minutes ago. Gotta run! I'll talk to you tomorrow, Sor."

"Bye Yama." I responded as he sprinted off to his place. I couldn't forget what he was about to say before he checked the watch...was he going to say it brought the two of us together? It really has, once I think about it. I feel like I know so much more about him now that we've done this. Maybe he's seeing me as more than a friend, just like I see him. Oh well, I'll think about that later. I'd better go put all this stuff away before I lose it or something…

* * *

I walked into the Child Development room trying to control my curiosity. Ms. Greene had said we would be playing some more games, and I was trying to figure out what she would throw in next.

"Hello again, class." She said as the bell rang. "I bet you are wondering where your seats are."

We were all standing up and had noticed the seats were arranged in groups of two but were in lines facing each other. Ms. Greene began naming off names and pointing to desks. Yamato and I ended up in between Koushiro and Gwen, Takeru and Hikari and were across from Taichi and Mimi. "Welcome to your neighborhoods." She explained. "Tomorrow we will be thinking of a town name and be brainstorming ideas to decorate your desks, which are serving as your homes, and naming your streets. If you could all please hand in your assignments, we will get today's lesson underway."

"What exactly is today's lesson?" Gwen asked, as she handed Ms. Greene a bulk of papers.

"We're going to be playing another game, but we're going to need as much time as possible to get it done. Do I have all of the assignments?" she asked.

"Yes." We answered, all anxious to get to get started.

"Well then follow me."

"What?" Yamato asked. "We're not playing the game in here?"

Ms. Greene smiled. "No, we need a lot more space and things are going to get a bit messy."

"Messy?" Mimi shrieked. "But this is a designer blouse! I can't get it dirty!"

Taichi rolled his eyes. "You'll live with it, Meems."

"I unlike you, Taichi, do not like wearing dirt or mud or…food on my shirt. By the way, I think you spilled some of your breakfast on your shirt."

Taichi looked down and gave us all a goofy grin. "Waffles…yum!"

Yama and I walked up ahead so we wouldn't have to listen to their argument. "What do you think she has up her sleeve this time?" He asked me.

"I don't know. It sounds like fun though."

"Yeah, unless you're Mimi!" We both laughed as the class followed Ms. Greene out of the school, past the parking lot, and ended up on the football practice field.

"Here we are class. How many of you are familiar with the TV show _Big Brother?_" (Not mine!)

A good deal of us raised our hands showing how popular reality TV is. Suddenly I got an odd feeling about what she had planned for us.

"That's good to hear. Well, here's our scenario. You were all just married and it's time for the in-laws to sit down with each other and yourselves and visit again. However, you all are in need of some food. That is what our game for today is. Each pair of twelve is going to compete for some food, and no one will walk away without any. But, like any other game, there will be one overall winner who will get an extra prize."

"I'm a little confused." Danielle said.

"Okay, I'll go slowly then. This game is going to be a food contest. Your objective is to get as much food to share with your in-laws. When I say go, you and your partner are going to start the obstacle course."

I looked about two hundred meters in front of me and saw a huge wall decorated with balloons hanging from it. It reminded me of an arcade game.

"Here's the first stop. I'm going to assign each pair a different color. Your job is to find the ten darts with that color and hit as many balloons as you can. For example, if your color is green, you will have to find the green darts and then have ten tries, one for each dart obviously, to hit some balloons. And the balloons don't have to be the same color as your darts. Inside each balloon is a slip of paper with some type of food written on it. This part of the obstacle course is not only about precision and accuracy but also needs to be done quickly."

"What next?" Koushiro asked.

Ms. Greene pointed a little way down the field. There was nothing there until the end of the field. There a long table with different colored buckets was placed and then the finish line with colored bandanas lying on the ground was behind it. "The second part of the course entails you run from the balloons to the table. But that part of the field is covered in mud and there are all sorts of food items hidden in the mud. You and your partner must find some way to make it across, picking up these plastic food items and following the rules…"

"What rules?" I asked.

"Only one partner's feet can touch the ground. You'll have to find someway to make it work." She smiled evilly. Yama and I caught each other's eyes.

"It sounded easy up until that point." He muttered.

"You're telling me. But I bet it doesn't get any easier."

Ms. Greene smiled. "If you loved that part I'm sure you'll love what's next."

Mimi groaned. "Not more!"

"The end of the mud field part is the table sitting in front of you. When you get there, both partner's feet can touch the ground again. There you will find two buckets with your teams color. In the empty bucket, place all the plastic food you found. Inside the other bucket are some crushed up chocolate cookies and ten gummy worms. Your objective here is to transport only the gummy worms one hundred meters to your color of bandana underneath the finish line sign WITHOUT using your hands."

Shouts of protest erupted from the class. This is going to be even harder than getting across the mud pit! Ms. Greene walked around, handing each girl a paper with a different color on it. "We're blue." I told Yamato.

"The team that gets all ten gummy worms into their bandana first is the winner! However every team, regardless if they win or lose, must complete the game. At the end, if you are successful in getting all of your gummy worms onto the bandana and don't quit, you will receive a five hundred dollar bonus."

Everyone's attitudes soon changed. Her little promise suddenly sounded like a good motivator!

"Line up with your partner underneath the start sign and when I say go, well, good luck!"

Yama and I took our place with the other eleven teams waiting for our teacher to give the okay. "Think we can do it?" I asked him.

"I know we can do it!" he replied airily making me laugh.

"On your mark, get set…..GO!" Ms. Greene shouted. Yama and I sprinted up to the balloon stand followed closely by our classmates.

"You look on the left, I'll look on the right!" he yelled and we walked around the barrier, Ms. Greene had set up, so we couldn't just walk up to the wall and hit a balloon.

I raced around the left side and spotted a shade of blue. One down, nine to go. I spotted two setting on the barrier and the last two down on the grass. I met Yamato back in the middle and noticed he had the other five already. Unfortunately for us, teams were already throwing their darts.

Yama picked up his darts and one by one threw them, popping two of the balloons. I had to stop and stare at him. "What? So I'm not a good dart player! Just throw yours so we don't fall behind!"

I rolled my eyes and carefully yet quickly threw each of the darts, popping five balloons. Yamato's mouth dropped as we dashed over to the start of the mud field.

"How are we going to get across this place?" I asked.

Yama's face lit up. "The old wheelbarrow walk." My face scrunched up in confusion, but suddenly I caught on. I put my hands on the ground and Yama grabbed my feet directing me.

"How the hell did I end up as the wheelbarrow?" I asked.

He chuckled. "You're just special." I rolled my eyes.

"Hey! Here's something!" I reached down and picked up a plastic orange. Yama kept one arm around my feet and grabbed me around the waste, pulling me up to him. "Here." I handed it to him before he dipped me back to the ground.

We continued this process across the field, pausing and stopping every now and then so he wouldn't drop me. Along the way we laughed when we heard Mimi cry out, "Taichi! These are a hundred and twenty dollar shoes! I am not getting them muddy!"

"Look, Meems, climb on my back and your shoes won't get muddy!"

"But you'll drop me so my shoes do end up muddy!"

"I won't drop you!"

"How can you be sure, Taichi Yagami?"

"Does the Lord hate me or something!" The brunette yelled. "You complain more than anyone I know!" He reached down and picked up some mud, hitting Mimi in the face with it.

She let out a shriek and tackled Taichi to the ground. Everyone stopped to watch them and laugh. Even Koushiro didn't try to break them up.

"Don't you have a problem watching the two of them flirt like that?" Takeru yelled to the boy genius.

He surprisingly shook his head. "I think it's kind of funny. I know Mimi and Tai just like getting the better of each other; it doesn't bother me too much. Mimi and I have been going out way to long for us break up over something like this." He explained.

Yama grinned at me as we reached the table and set me down on my own two feet. "Whatever happened to Mimi not getting muddy?" He pointed at the scene and I giggled.

Mimi had picked up some mud and was hitting Taichi with it. Yet Taichi had the upper hand and threw some in her hair. "You gotta love those two." I stated as we ran to the table to a head start on the next part. Besides the blond and me, Danielle and Tony, Koushiro and Gwen, and two other pairs were also there.

Yama threw the collection of food we had found into the empty bucket at looked over at me. "How are we going to do this?" he asked.

I looked around at the others and noticed they were considering the same thing. Damn, no one to get ideas from. "Well, the only thing I can think of is to transport them…mouth to mouth." I said the last part slowly, feeling my cheeks heat up.

He smirked. "Sounds like a good plan to me." He dug his face into the bowl and pulled it out, motioning for me to open my mouth. I closed my eyes and felt our mouths meet and the two gummy worms transferred into my mouth. I pulled away and opened my eyes, running over to the bandana and spitting them out on there. Ms. Greene laughed at our idea but gave me a big smile.

"That's resourcefulness." I heard her mutter.

Yama repeated the process, though this time in addition to moving the gummy worms from his mouth to mine, he kissed me. We broke away, and I looked upat his smiling face before running over to drop the next two gummy worms into the bandana. This happened two more times, until we only had two gummy worms left. As he was about to put his face back into the bowl, we heard cheering and looked over to the finish line where Tony and Danielle were both very happy. Danielle was dumping the gummy worms out of her shirt and Tony was wiping the chocolate crumbs from his mouth. Guess they sort of the same idea we did.

"You've still got to finish." Ms. Greene reminded us and the other groups that had stopped to watch the two winners. I faced Yamato who had just pulled his head out of the bowl. He brought his mouth down to mine and kissed me, entering his tongue into my mouth. It was obvious he had no gummy worms in there, but yet I kissed him back hungrily. I would have wrapped my arms around him had my hands not been covered with mud. Slowly I pulled away, so we wouldn't draw any attention.

He grinned at me. "Whoops, guess I forgot to grab a gummy worm."

I blushed and wiped one of my muddy hands on his face. "Smooth cover-up, Ishida. Let's finish this, shall we?"

He picked up the last two and transported them to my mouth. I walked over to the bandana and spit them out. "Good job you two. You got second place. Head back into the school and wait for your classmates in the room." She said, as Yamato joined us.

He and I laughed as we headed inside, watching our classmates attempt to finish. Taichi and Mimi still hadn't made it through the mud field. "I'd say that went pretty well." Yama said, wrapping an arm around me.

"Yeah, though I was kind of scared at beginning. You're not the greatest dart thrower."

He smiled. "But you are. Hmm, maybe my loving wife would like to give me," he leaned down to my ear and whispered, "private lessons."

I slapped his arm but felt my face heat up. "I don't think even lessons will help you."

As we walked into the front door, I couldn't help but smile. That game didn't turn out too bad, especially the whole added kisses. I wonder why Yama did that…

A/N: Please review…sorry if it's a stupid chapter, I kind of threw it together today since I had no school. Let me know what you think!


	6. Lover's Spat

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Here's chapter 6 finally. Sorry for the long delay…hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner next time. Thanks to everyone who reviews! Read, review, and enjoy!

**_Mushi-SanBan:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Cute Lil Sora: _**_Thanks; I'm glad you like the way everyone is portrayed. _

**_Hannah:_**_ Thanks for the correction…I put it in here and in my other fics. Glad you like it…I'll talk to you later probably_

**_Xymi Angel Ghost:_**_ :laughs: when I know what I want to write; it just comes…lol…thanks!_

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ I've got no idea where I came up with half the games and stuff from…if I ever figure out, I'll let you know._

**_Animemistress419:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Winter-Green-Elf:_**_ Aww..glad you like it!_

**_Ale1240:_**_ Thanks for the great review!_

**_Chiara:_**_ The children will be introduced soon enough_

**_Blondie121147:_**_ Ya, I wish my school was fun and exciting. Actually my guidance counselor came into one of my classes today, assigned us each a job and we had to budget our income and expenses and such. Talk about coincidence…lol_

**_Scorpion05:_**_ Mimi, Tai, and the game's results come up next chapter…_

**_Kazama Fangirl:_**_ I'll see what I can do…the name implies things aren't as perfect as they seem…(I guess I do tend to make things too perfect…but something usually ends up happening that changes it…)_

**_Inconnu:_**_ The teachers had some meeting thing; it happened again last Friday -talk about luck. My school's odd- tomorrow the high schoolers have no afternoon classes because we're going to go "serve the community" by doing yard work and stuff like that and on Friday in chemistry we're celebrating "Mole Day"._

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ I can always count on your reviews to make me smile. I too have a horrible attention span, but I got this done because I didn't want to concentrate on an essay I was supposed to be writing instead._

Chapter 6: Lover's Spat

"This is a very important part of a relationship." Ms. Greene said, pointing at two diagrams on the overhead. "Can anyone tell me what I'm talking about?"

Yamato nudged me. "Do you have ANY idea what those pictures are?"

I shook my head as I looked at the screen. "I think it's supposed to be a group of people but I'm not too sure."

"How do you get people out of that?" Taichi questioned, hearing my comment. The class faced him. "If you tilt your head this way, the picture looks like a herd of angry cattle."

Koushiro shook his head. "But if you look at it from this angle…"

"Okay! I'm not the best artist!" Ms. Greene exclaimed. "To save myself from ridicule, I'm going to stop the guessing. Sora, you were right when you said people."

"I was?" That was a complete guess.

"Yeah," she answered, "but more specifically one diagram is a picture of one family while the other is a picture of a different one."

We all looked at her. "And this has to do with us because…" Mimi asked, raising her hand.

"I'll use an example and see if you understand." She answered pulling up a new sheet so she could write on it. Hikari, would you name off the people in your immediate family: your parents and siblings."

"Mom, Dad, Taichi, and me." She answered.

Ms. Greene wrote the names "Mom" and "Dad" on top and drew a line between them. Then she drew two lines down from the line and wrote Taichi's name under one and Hikari's under the other.

"What about you, Takeru."

"There's Mom, Dad…my parents are divorced." He said.

"It's okay, keep going." She replied as she began to write.

"Yamato and me."

In the blank space underneath she wrote "Mom" and "Dad" with a line between them, and then a diagonal line slicing through that. Then she drew two more lines from the first one and labeled Yamato and Takeru.

Next our teacher drew a line from Taichi's name that said "Mimi", a line from Hikari's that read "Takeru", a line from Takeru's that read "Hikari", and finally, as expected, a line from Yamato's with my name.

"Now do you get it?" she asked.

"Prodigious!" Gwen exclaimed.

Yamato and I looked at each other. "You can tell Koushiro's been rubbing off on her." The blond whispered. "Look at Mimi!"

I turned my head to see my friend and bit my lip to keep from laughing. She was fuming! Taichi muttered something to her, and she responded by slapping him. Hard. My brunette best friend glanced over at Yama and me and winked.

"In-laws!" Gwen replied, not hearing our commentary.

Ms. Greene beamed. "Yes, that's exactly it. Your relationship with your in-laws may or may not affect your relationship with your spouse, but it will affect you."

"I've heard horror stories about in-laws." Hikari admitted. "What are we going to have to do?"

"You're jumping ahead of me, Hikari." Ms. Greene answered. "It's true you may have heard a lot of people complaining about in-laws. But that has been the negative image the media has portrayed and a couple cases with real life people. I speak from experience after getting to know my sisters mother-in-law and father-in-law. At first my sister was scared out of her mind to meet them, but once she was finally introduced to them, they found they had a lot in common. My sister then introduced them to me, and we all got along just fine."

"So what are you getting at?" One of my classmates asked.

"Your only homework for this week—well, until the "special twist" I throw in sometime this week—is to meet the in-laws. Arrange a time that you can have lunch with one family and a night you can watch movies with the others." She paused and took some sheets of paper off her desk. "I would like each of your parents to sign this proving that it really did happen. That is your only assignment. We're going to take some notes until I decide the time is right to throw in this twist."

I looked at my husband. "So…"

"So," he answered, "what night is your family free?"

"Dad's on a business trip all week." I replied then faced our teacher. "Ms. Greene, what if one of my parents isn't home this week?"

"Just meet with the one that is, Sora." She answered. "And, since I have a feeling this question will come up, if your parents are divorced, you only have to meet with the one you live with."

"Tomorrow?" I asked the blond.

He shook his head. "Band practice." Yamato was silent for a minute. "Come to think of it, I've got band practice every night this week."

"Well, when are we going to do it then?"

"After school?"

"I have tennis."

He studied me. "Can you skip tennis one night?"

I shook my head. "No. Can't you skip rehearsal one night?"

"No. We've got to practice the new music."

"Well, I've got a match this week."

The blond let out a frazzled sigh. "Are you sure you…"

"Yama, I already told you no. Tennis is really important to me."

"And the band isn't important to me?"

I rolled my eyes as the bell rang. "That's beside the point. You can afford to skip one practice. It's not going to kill you."

He glared at me. "Easy for you to say." Came his response and he walked off without another word.

"What just happened?" I murmured out loud.

Taichi walked up behind me and put an arm around me. "Sora, that would be your first lover's spat."

"Excuse me?"

Taichi gave me a goofy grin. "You and your hubby had a little disagreement. And it's about time. Everything between the two of you was too perfect and boring."

"What do you mean?" I asked as we began walking toward our next class.

"Sora, Sora, Sora," he replied, shaking his head, "just because you and Yamato are best friends doesn't mean some sort of relationship like this is going to be perfect."

"I never thought it would be like that." I insisted.

Tai rolled his eyes. "Sor, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but I could tell you did want it to be that way. You've liked Yamato for the longest time. The way I see it, considering it's obvious Yamato likes you too, you both thought everything would turn out peachy keen."

"Ta…"

"Listen—you can interrupt me when I'm done." Wow, that's not normal Tai. "Jumping from friendship to love isn't going to be easy. You two are going to have to make it work. You just can't sit around and expect it to happen."

My mouth dropped open. "Two comments: number one, I don't like Yamato." My conscience is going crazy. _Liar, liar, liar!_ "And number two, how the hell did you get to be so smart about this subject?"

He grinned at me. "From my extensive years of studying women."

That set me off. "Do I even want to know?"

"You doubt me?" He asked, putting an arm around me.

I nodded. "Hey," I answered, remembering the last class, "what'd you say to Mimi that made her slap you?"

"Oh…" he answered rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, I kind of told her that if Koushiro and Gwen were getting to be a good husband and wife combo, she had me to fall back on. And she should be happy for it cause all the ladies love me."

I rolled my eyes. "Taichi, you have a lot to learn about women. Particularly Mimi."

"I know." He answered cheerfully. "I just love antagonizing her, though. It's so much fun!"

We walked into class chatting happily. It felt like someone was staring at me though, and I realized who: Yama.

As our eyes locked his narrowed. "I'll talk to you later, Tai. I've got to go talk with Yamato."

"Good luck." Taichi answered looking at the blonde's eyes. "He…er…doesn't look to happy."

I sighed and made my way to my seat next to the blond. "Yamato?"

He shuffled through his binder and clearly was ignoring me. "Yamato, please listen to me."

"Why should I listen to you?" he snapped.

"Look I came here to apologize…" If he wants stubborn, I can give him stubborn.

"So you're finally ready to admit you're wrong?"

"I'm not wrong!" I answered indignantly.

He shook his head. "You're saying I am though."

Men! "No! I came here to tell you I'm sorry for yelling before and that it was rude of me to say the band wasn't important. Of course I think it's important, Yama, but if we're going to get this thing done, we're going to have to compromise."

As he was about to respond, our teacher walked into the room. "Okay, class, notebooks out. It's time to take some more notes."

We all groaned. For the past few weeks, in an attempt to get us ready for this big advanced placement test at the end of the year, our teacher has forced us to sit and take notes. Even Yamato, whose favorite class is physics, cannot stand it.

Thankfully he and I sit in the back of class, and I should have no problem passing him a note. I took out a sheet of paper and as the teacher turned off the lights, I began writing. He'll just think I'm taking notes. I can always get the notes from Taichi…okay, scratch that idea. Tai never takes notes yet somehow does as well as I do in the class. Maybe Yama and I will be on speaking terms by the end of class and I can just copy his.

_Yama…I don't want to be mad at you. But you've got to try and understand me if we're going to get anywhere. We've got to think of something that will work without biting each others heads off in the process. Taichi told me I was probably thinking this whole class and project would be a breeze with you as my "husband", and I guess I did. I never thought we'd have to work harder to get stuff like this done. Please write me back cause I want us to figure this out…Sor_

As our teacher droned on, I folded the paper and handed it to Yamato. He looked at it quizzically but much to my relief opened it.

I sat in my desk anxiously hoping he would answer me. In an attempt to keep my mind off him, I began writing down the things listed on the overhead, aware I had missed a good quarter of the notes.

Yamato nudged me and handed me the note. I gave him a grateful smile, and he responded with a weak, almost forced one.

**Sor, I know I've been a stubborn ass, but if I'm going to hear your side, then you've got to hear mine. I agree that we need to figure out what we're going to do. I guess I also thought everything would be easy with you as a partner. It really made me happy when I drew your name. Things were great up until that argument in class. You've just got to understand that the band takes up a lot of my time. Almost every night we have rehearsals and shit at night and that's after I go to work for a few hours. My schedule's so overwhelming that it's hard to find time to fit stuff in…Yamato…**

I gulped as I read that, understanding what he had written but coming to a shocking realization. My hand shook as I wrote back to him. _Yamato…please don't hate me for saying this…but you're starting to sound like your father…_

I handed him the note, afraid of his reaction. The minute he read it, his face blanched. He reached for his pen and slowly wrote something down before handing it back to me.

**I need to talk to you face to face. Can you fake being sick? I'll "take" you to the nurse's office.**

I caught his eye and nodded. Holding a hand to my head and praising my luck that the air conditioning was on, I began to shiver and sway back and forth. I laid my head down on my desk,and I knew the teacher would come back to check on me at any minute. He has a policy about not laying your head on your desk; something about "if you have to rest your head on your desk to stay awake then you shouldn't be in school in the first place."

"Sora, are you feeling alright?"

I forced my head up off the desk and made my teeth chatter. "No…" I whispered.

"Do you want me to take her to the nurse?" Yamato asked, sincerely. Taichi turned around, and I nearly started laughing as he made funny faces at me.

Our teacher faced the blond. "Um, sure, Yamato. That would probably be a good thing. The bell's going to ring shortly. Just take your things with you."

I slowly put my things in my bag and zipped it up. Yamato picked it up for me, and we walked out of the room. As I passed Tai, he whispered, "Faker…wonder what you two are going to be doing…just remember I don't want to be called Uncle Tai yet."

"Screw you." I muttered out of the side of my mouth, feeling my face heat up as we walked out the door. Yamato shut it, and we headed toward the nurse's office. When we were sure we were out of sight, he took my hand and led me to the instrumental room. There was no one in there, and he set our bags down as he pulled out two chairs.

He was silent for a minute, and I stayed the same way, not wanting to pressure him. Yamato would talk to me when he was ready. "Sor, what you said back there…I think it's starting to be true. I think I'm finally beginning to understand why my mom and dad always got into fights when I was younger. Dad was never home. He was always busy with other stuff and kept pushing the family behind his other things."

"Yamato, you're not like that. But the way things are sounding…it seems like that could happen. I hope I'm not offending you."

"Of course you're not," He answered, putting a hand on top of mine. "You made me see the way I was acting. All my life I promised myself I wouldn't end up like Dad but now…"

"Yama, you're a different person than your father. You know there's a limit, but sometimes it takes the help of others to realize it."

He grinned. "Yeah, we males have a habit of not asking for help when we most need it, don't we?"

I smiled back, knowing he was true. "You could say that. What you need to do is set out your priorities, figure out what's really important and find a way to work it into your schedule."

He sighed. "I wish it was that easy. I feel like I'm committed to do so much, and I don't want to hurt anyone by breaking those commitments."

"The only person you're hurting is yourself. Yama, you're too much sometimes. You put others needs in front of your own. Think about yourself."

The blond smirked. "You're telling me to be selfish?"

I glared at him. "You know what I mean. Just sort out the things you want to do and find a time to fit them in. If you have to cancel, then you have to cancel. I just don't want to see you so overworked and depressed that we get into fights for stupid reasons."

He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big bear hug. "Who made you an expert on these things?"

"Taichi." I answered as I hugged him back.

Yamato pulled away and looked me in the eye as the bell rang. "Repeat that again, cause I'm not sure I heard you right."

I giggled, picking up my book bag and opening the door. "You heard me right."

He rolled his eyes and muttered something inaudible. Giving me a charming grin, we walked out the door. "Thanks for that, Sora. I really needed it. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd manage." I answered as we walked towards lunch.

"Yeah," he answered sarcastically, "by doing what? Going to Taichi for advice?"

I laughed, knowing things would hopefully be better now that we had gotten that little problem out of the way. Guess all we have to do know is find a time when we can "meet the parents".

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! Take a guess at what the next chapter has in store…


	7. Meet the Family

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Please R&R and a huge thanks to everyone who does!

_**I lurv Digimon:** Hello! I'm in the process of editing this fic right now, so I figured why not respond to a few of your reviews right now. First off, thanks for the nitpicking. When you get a lot of those "OMG, you have to update soon," yada, yada, yada, things, you tend to forget the number of mistakes in your fic. I know I have plenty. Let's see, actually when I first wrote this fic, I was basing it in America. I just much perferred the Japanese names to the dubbed ones. That's the reason for Ms. Greene's name and some of the others. I figured why not throw in a loopy teacher with some crazy ideas...that's why some of the games don't really fit all that well. The one's coming up are much more relevant -scratches head- at least I think so. Also, you'll probably notice, because I do, that my writing changes as the fic goes on. It's a result of maturing -I think...lol!- and me being smarter and doing research on the things I needed to know that I didn't, usually regarding the Japanese culture. I'll address anything else later cause I'm supposed to be writing a persuasive speech right now. But just keep on reviewing and sending your comments, they really are beneficial! Thanks!_

**_Cute-cleo/mimay:_**_ Thanks for both the reviews! I'm glad you like this and my other stories._

**_Xymi Angel Ghost:_**_ Antagonizing guys is pretty fun…_

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ Plenty more humor to come…_

**_The-Great-Eagleman:_**_ There's lots of Tai, Mimi, Takeru, and Hikari. I'll try to throw Daisuke in somewhere if I get a chance…_

**_Antler:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Wings of Jade:_**_ Glad you like it!_

**_Inconnu:_**_ Breakfast is served this chapter…_

**_Teehee:_**_ Judging by the fact Sora's mom already knows Yamato and vice versa, I'm gonna say yeah…_

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Mizuki wa Kataomoi:_**_ Too bad there's no "wise Taichi" in this chapter…_

**_Animemistress419:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Mushi-SanBan:_**_ You're partially right…well, sorta…_

**_KazamaFangirl:_**_ Because of your persistent pleading, there is plenty of Michi in this chapter!_

**_CuteLilSora:_**_ Glad you like it!_

**_Thetwentyone:_**_ Thanks! Hope you like this chapter!_

**_Blondie121147:_**_ Tai provides more comic relief this chapter…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ I like throwing in twists…_

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ I did my best with the meet the parents scenes for the others. I wrote this all today…I had no school and finished it in four hours._

**_Forest-Maiden:_**_ I'll try to update sooner next time but school gets in the way._

**_Indigowolf:_**_ Thanks!_

Chapter 7: Meeting the Family

"So Meems, when are we going to meet and work on our project?" Taichi asked through a mouthful of food.

"Taichi, if we eat somewhere with my parents, you're really going to need to work on your table manners."

Yamato smirked. "Do you really think that could happen?"

I laughed while stirring the mystery meat around on my plate. "I doubt it. He's always eaten like that."

Tai stuck out his tongue. "You never answered my question."

"I'll talk to my parents." Mimi replied.

"So, is there a time we can get together?" I asked the blond sitting next to me. Hopefully we can get something worked out now that we've taken care of the little problem we just solved.

Yama went to respond but Tai cut him off. "When **will** you two get together? Honestly, we're all waiting."

The blond faced him. "What!"

"You know he's right, Yama." Takeru rolled his eyes. "So do you, Sora."

"Do yourselves a favor and admit you like each other." Koushiro said, joining the conversation.

"We all see it. You two must be really blind if you can't." Hikari added.

Mimi wore a sly smile. "We've seen the looks you give each other when you think no one's looking and I saw your little "method" of transporting gummy worms between yourselves at the last challenge." She paused dramatically. "I saw you kiss Sora, Yamato."

Our faces both began to heat up. "Ooh! Ooh! So it's true!" Taichi exclaimed hysterically. "It's about damn time!"

The bell rang pausing our conversation and getting us away from the others. "Let's get outta here." Yamato whispered as we took our trays up.

"Where to? We have class now."

"So?" He answered, picking up his book bag. "We skipped most of last class. We have study hall next, it's not like we're going to be missing anything."

"We're gonna get our asses chewed if we're caught." I reasoned. "Besides, what are we going to do?"

He gave me his gorgeous smile. "We can go eat lunch with my dad. He'll be at his office and we can just pick up some fast food. Otherwise I can't think of a time he will be free that the two of us are."

Well, that made his suggestion more understandable. We have to meet with his father sometime for class and this does seem like the only way. "Alright. But if we get caught…"

"I'll make it up to you somehow." He promised, grinning.

I raised an eyebrow as we sat down in our seats in study hall so the teacher could take roll. Luckily, this day of the week we have the oldest teacher in the school. She's pretty scatterbrained and forgets a lot of stuff.

"All right class, I have a lot to do. Keep yourselves busy and don't bother me."

She looked down at her work and as people began talking, Yamato gave me a nod. Our desks were right next to the door and snuck out of the room, walked down the hall, and after checking to make sure our principal wasn't patrolling that hall at the moment, snuck out the door.

Yamato and I laughed all the way to his car and the whole drive to Burger King (not mine!). Five minutes later we pulled up in the radio stations parking lot and headed up to Mr. Ishida's office.

He was pretty shocked to see us there.

"Yamato, Sora, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

His son rolled his eyes. "We're here to do an assignment, dad. For one of our classes, the teacher assigned us partners and we're "married" to them. We have to meet the in-laws and have them sign a sheet to prove we did. Oh, and we brought you lunch."

Hiroaki Ishida stared at the two for a minute, letting the information sink in before letting out a laugh. "So you two got paired together. Could it be telling us something about the future, huh?"

My cheeks turned rosy and I faced the window so the two men couldn't see them. "Dad," Yamato began, "seriously, can we just stay on subject?"

"Of course son, but admittance is the first step…"

We spent the next half and hour eating our lunch with Matt's dad and having a nice conversation about all sorts of things with him. He nearly choked on his food when he heard Takeru and Hikari had been paired up. "Now if there are any two people who belong to be together as much as you two, it's your brother and Hikari."

Yama and I kept glancing at each other whenever he said something like that. Does everyone have something to say about this? But as soon as the subject would make its way into the conversation, it would drop.

Hiroaki Ishida is a nice guy. He's quite different than I expected him to be. Of all my friend's parents, he's probably the one I knew the least about until today.

I looked up at the clock and realized it was time for us to get back to school before we got in trouble. "Yama, we've better be heading back."

"Yeah." He replied, checking the time as well. "I'll see you later, dad."

Mr. Ishida smiled. "It was nice having lunch with the two of you. Have a good day now kids, and remember: admittance is the first step! You're going to have to tell her sometime, Yamato!"

We walked back to the blonde's car in silence. "So…"

"So," I responded.

"We need to get a new set of friends and family members."

"Definitely."

He laughed. "I…never mind."

"What?" I responded.

"It's not important right now." He answered, driving back towards school. I gave him a quizzical look but he said nothing more. Guess I'll find out later…

Yamato and I arrived back at school with just enough time to slip into study hall before the bell rang. The rest of the day went by really fast. Since we had until Friday morning to get the rest of our family meetings done, Yamato and I decided to have breakfast with my parents on Friday morning.

We hadn't heard from Taichi or any of the others how their "meeting the parents" times went but I was sure we would hear all about it on Friday during class and they wouldn't be a bit normal.

The doorbell rang at 7:30 Friday morning and dad greeted Yamato. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm pretty good, Mr. T. What about you?"

"Fantastic. Toshiko's making some of my favorite breakfast foods so there's no reason for me not to be happy."

The blond chuckled and noticed me. "Hey Sora."

"Hello, Yamato." I replied smiling at him.

Dad laughed. "Aren't you going to give her a good morning kiss?"

"A good morning kiss?" I wondered.

Dad rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I kiss your mother every morning. Now go on…I'll leave you two in private so I don't get yelled at for watching you kiss."

Yamato was fighting the urge to crack up but I was trying not to strangle my dad. I bit my lip as the blond moved closer to me. "I hate my dad."

"Why, because he's making you kiss me?" Yamato asked sounding rather hurt.

"Of course not," I replied. "He just comes up with the craziest ideas."

Yama grinned and whispered, "So, you don't mind that I have to kiss you?"

"Um…I…no." I stuttered feeling weak in the knees.

"Good." He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. I shut my eyes and fell right into the kiss immediately. There's just something about him and the way he kisses me that make me almost float on air. Yamato deepened the kiss and his tongue entered my mouth.

Okay, there's nothing going on between us yet every time we kiss, the kisses are so passionate and full of…love. That's it; I think I have fallen for Yamato or fell for him long ago but took me forever to realize it. But if he isn't pulling away, and I'm not pulling away, does it mean he feels the same way.

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back with as much hunger not caring if my parents walked in. This feels so right. "Sora, Yamato! Breakfast is ready!" mom called from the kitchen.

We ignored her, lost in our own little world. "Are you two still kissing?" Dad shouted. This time we did break away, both breathing deeply. "That was one hell of a kiss if you did."

Yamato and I looked at each other. "I'm sorry." He murmured. "Guess I got a little carried away."

"So did I. There's nothing to be sorry about." I replied.

Yama and I walked into the kitchen and took our seats. "Holy cow, Mrs. T! You're going to make me fat with all this food!" Yamato exclaimed.

Dad sat down next to the blond and nodded his head. "Toshiko, you did make a lot. Were you planning on inviting Taichi over or something?"

Mom shook her head. "I made a lot so Sora would have plenty to eat this weekend while we're gone."

"Where are you going?" Yamato asked as dad began passing the food around.

"Some friends of ours are getting married about eight hours away from here tomorrow and it's adults only." Dad explained.

"I see." the blond replied.

Mom, dad, Yamato, and I made small talk while we ate the delicious array of pancakes, muffins, sausage, eggs, and fruit. Keeping with the tradition our friends and Mr. Ishida started, mom and dad teased us about getting together.

"Stop being stubborn!" Mom exclaimed. "When Haruhiko finally got around to asking me out, I already had a boyfriend! Luckily however, the guy turned out to be an idiot and your father and I finally got together."

"Sora, tell him you like him before that happens to you." Dad replied.

Yamato and I looked at each other. "Do you get the feeling EVERYONE is trying to set us up?" he asked.

"That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard. Look, if by chance something happens between us…"

"…we'll let it happen and go from there. But we don't want people making us hook up because that's the way they want to see us, okay?" Yamato finished my statement and added his own to it.

Mom and dad's faces both fell. "All right. You two better be heading off to school."

"Thanks for breakfast, Mr. T., Mrs. T."

"No problem, Yamato. You know you are welcome here anytime." Mom smiled at him as she signed the slip saying we had met with them.

"See you on Sunday night, Sora." Mom and dad said, giving me a hug.

"Have fun."

"We will." They replied. "Remember what we said about telling him." Dad whispered to me.

I grabbed my bag and shut the door before they could say anymore. Yama looked at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Those meetings didn't go too bad."

"I agree. I could imagine each of our meetings being much worse."

He laughed. "Well now we can go to school and see how everyone else's were."

I smiled. "I have a feeling there are going to be some interesting ones."

"Tai and Mimi." We both said in unison, getting into his car…

"Settle down, people!" Ms. Greene called. "I'm glad to see you're all full of stories but we'll only start sharing once your quiet."

Immediately everyone quieted down. "We'll go first, Ms. Greene." Mimi volunteered.

Taichi hit his head against his desk. "Someone remind me how I got stuck with her as a partner."

"Go ahead, Mr. and Mrs. Yagami." Mimi stood up and went to the front of the room and Taichi lethargically dragged himself up to the front, taking his good old time.

"Well, Wednesday night we went out to lunch with the Yagamis at a buffet. They completely agreed with me about Taichi's eating habits and we spent an hour fixing them."

Yamato snickered. "Shut up, Ishida." He mumbled. "It gets worse."

"I can't wait to hear then." Yama replied.

"So we ate supper there for a while and then drove back to the Yagamis house to play cards for a little bit. To make a long story short, Hikari and I whooped Taichi at spoons, poker, euchre, go fish, and a few other games."

Ms. Greene laughed too. "That sounds interesting. So what did you do with the Tachikawas? Taichi, do you care to share this time?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"Damn. We went golfing with Mimi's parents at some rich fancy country club."

"You're leaving out the most important detail, Taichi."

He faced Mimi. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"N…"

"Mimi, why don't you tell us?" Ms. Greene said, breaking up the argument that could have lasted the whole class.

"I beat Taichi really bad at golf too. Call it revenge for ruining my two hundred dollar pair of shoes in the game with the mud pit."

"Mimi beat…let me get this right, Mimi beat you at golf?" I asked.

Taichi didn't say anything. Mimi smirked. "I beat him bad. Taichi had some funny times too. And since I have a feeling he'll refuse to tell you…I WILL!"

"Thanks, Meems." Taichi answered sarcastically. "I'm sure their lives would not be able to function if you didn't get a chance to make fun of me."

Mimi smiled. "Taichi, you know it's true." She answered, pinching his cheek. "Well on the third hole, second shot, Taichi hit the ball and it went straight up in the air. It came back down a foot from where he hit it."

The class laughed. "I think I can even do better than that." I heard Koushiro say.

"There's more though. On the next hole on his tee shot, Tai hit the ball into a field cows were in and had to walk through some manure to get it. And then on the last hole—the fairway is on one side of a road and the green on another—when I yelled at him to hit it across the road; he hit it onto the highway that is parallel to the course instead."

"It's not that funny." Taichi pouted. "What can I say; I'm a soccer player not a golfer!"

"It is funny." Hikari said. "Taichi, I'm going to tell mom and dad you want to go golfing this weekend."

"This is all your fault." He said, turning to face his wife.

Mimi smiled. "It's not my fault you suck at golfing."

"But you had to open your big mouth!"

"That's enough you two. Flirt on your own time!" Ms. Greene called. "We'll hear from Takeru and Hikari next."

"Well, we ate supper at my mom's house last night. It was nothing too special. When we were done, she and Hikari forced me to watch _Ella Enchanted._

"We didn't force you, Takeru." Hikari said. "We gave you a choice."

"Oh yeah, _Titanic _or _Ella Enchanted._ (Neither of them are mine!) That's definitely a choice!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "I think all the parents decided to gang up and put the men through hell."

A lot of the guys in the class shook their heads in agreement. "You tell 'em, my future brother-in-law!" Taichi yelled.

Takeru and Hikari both blushed at the comment. "You know he's right, Takeru." Yamato gloated, using the exact same words his younger brother had on him at lunch a few days before. "So do you, Hikari."

"Don't even get us started about your love life, Yama." Hikari glared. "Two nights ago, we went shopping with my parents."

"Yeah, they made me carry around Hikari's bags and stuff for her. Her dad told me that's what it's going to be like when we finally get together…I mean when I get married later." He tried to cover up what he had said.

I caught his slip of the tongue and nudged Yamato. "He finally admits it!"

"It's about time." The older blond said. "Way to go Takeru."

"Well," Takeru said, "fine. Hikari I've liked you a lot for a long time. Will you go out with me?"

Hikari beamed. "Takeru, I've been waiting forever for you to ask me out. Of course!" She gave him a hug and all the girls sighed.

"See, it's not so hard, Yama. Maybe you should try it."

"Next group please!" Ms. Greene shouted before Yama could respond.

The rest of the class went through their descriptions along with Yamato and I. We conveniently left out the fact that we skipped class to meet his dad and that everyone was hinting we should get together.

"Okay, class. It's time for your next assignment."

"On a Friday?" Taichi demanded.

"This one is going to be ongoing until the day class ends." She walked over a blanket which was covering something up. Ms. Greene pulled the blanket off dramatically and we all gasped. "It's time for you all to become proud parents…"

A/N: Please review! I've got to go to my school's play now; I'm going to be late if I don't leave right now! Hope you all liked the chapter!


	8. The Joys of Parenthood

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm alive! Lol! Sorry for the long wait; I had lots of stuff going on and lots of homework to do…a big big big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I love you guys! Please R&R and hope you like the chapter.

**_Sweet-sorato:_**_ They're definitely not real kids. That would be a little scary…_

**_Jozzy-digimonfan:_**_ Well I'm glad you did read this and glad you liked it ::smiles::_

**_Money makes me smile:_**_ Thanks!!_

**_Nickygirl:_**_ I love reading things that make me laugh when I've had a bad day…_

**_Celest4:_**_ Expect more hilarity as the babies are here!_

**_Kkornelia:_**_ There's no kissing in this chapter! Lol! Glad you like it so far. My sophomore English teacher was deathly afraid of clowns and I thought it'd be a nice twist. There's a lot of Mimi and Tai in this chapter…not necessarily any hints but they're in a good portion…_

**_Ms. Unknown:_**_ Yeah, it'll be chaos!_

**_Tehee:_**_ I didn't choose Izumi, but thanks for the suggestion!_

**_SiverBlack12:_**_ There's no kissing in this chapter and there will be at least one more game and it'll be a little like the Newlywed Game…_

**_Kat:_**_ Sack of flour? That's a new one…_

**_Scorpion05:_**_ ::hehehe:: Tai's golfing was based on when my family, my neighbors, and the guys who work for my dad went golfing. My dad was the one who hit it across the wrong road and the guy who works for us hit it straight up in the air and also hit it into a pen of cows! _

**_Mushi-SanBan:_**_ Yes, there are babies!_

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ Chaos!_

**_Sapphire Dragons: _**_Thanks!_

**_Indigowolf:_**_ Gotta love the takari!_

**_Sylver Kamiya:_**_ Yup, they're special dolls though…read to see…thanks for the review!_

**_Blondie121147:_**_ Fruit? That's a new one too! Lol! You had to carry an egg around??? Did you pass the class??? I can guarantee they will not be carrying around any sort of food. And if they had to Taichi would most likely eat his and Mimi's kid…_

**_Jodi Crystal:_**_ He'd better ask her soon! Lol! Glad you like it!_

**_Inconnu:_**_ Now if only his older brother would get a hint…_

_  
_

**_Xymi Angel Ghost:_**_ I'm glad you like it and we've gotten you to appreciate soratos…that made me smile!_

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ I saw the school play eleven times I think and it got to the point where I could recite nearly every line in the play…uh oh, that reminds me I was supposed to be memorizing lines for a Spanish play ::goes off to do that::_

**_Rilla1989:_**_ Taichi would agree with you…lol!_

**_KazamaFangirl:_**_ I guess I don't feel every chapter has to have conflict. I like to build up the exposition so when it's time for the conflict, I don't need to waste time filling in details. Trust me, though, you'll get your conflict. With babies, what can you expect? And as I'm sort of basing this on the end of 02, there may be a potential takari breakup or rough waters for them. I haven't decided yet. I would never write a story just to hook someone up with no plot in mind…_

**_Animemistress419:_**_ I agree!_

**_Cute-cleo:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Funny story, yeah a friend and I actually did go to Burger King during school once. We were at a job shadow and supposed to go back to school for lunch but we were having turkey sandwiches and we were just like, let's go to Burger King! Lol! I think you have an idea of what's coming up in this chapter…well maybe…Oh and btw, this chapter's dedicated to you for all the help you've given me and all the interesting conversations we've had…_

Chapter 8: The Joys of Parenthood

"Class, if you thought the project in general has been easy up until now, then you're going to have to get rid of that philosophy."

I looked in front of me to see fourteen baby dolls. This is supposed to be challenging? They're just dolls.

"Ms. Greene, how is taking care of a doll hard?"

She smirked. "They're not ordinary dolls, Taichi. These babies are computer run and have the ability to cry when you least expect them to. You and your spouse will be taking care of these children for the next two weeks and this assignment will largely determine your final grade. If the baby arrives back in my room with its internal computer in tact and not looking like a disaster, you pass. If not, well I think you understand."

Kari raised her hand. "So basically all we have to do is keep the baby from crying and we pass, right?"

Our teacher shook her head. "In a way, you are right but there's a bit more to it. With each baby you're going to receive a carrier, diaper bag, bottle, diaper, some informational help, and a wristband. The wristband is the key here."

"What's it do?" someone asked.

"There is a spot on the baby's back that matches up with an indent on the wristband. By placing the two together you will be able to get the child to stop crying. But with each different kid comes a different wristband. No two are the same. If you loose your wristband, you and your partner will most likely not be passing this class. In addition to using the wristband, you'll have to figure out why the baby was crying—because he or she was hungry, fussy, or perhaps had a dirty diaper. You will then have to solve the problem by feeding, rocking, or changing the baby's diaper. And the computer has the ability to record everything that happens to the child, so I'll know whether or not you were properly taking care of your child. Anymore questions?"

"So basically you're saying we have to take this kid with us everywhere you go." Gwen asked.

Ms. Greene smiled. "I'm glad you asked that. You and your spouse are responsible for the child on nights and over the weekends. However, with the exception of Fridays, you will leave the child in my room and pick it up at the end of the day. I have a key that can turn the computers off for a while without loosing anything, and I can then turn them back on when school's out. I want you to get a sense of what it's like to be a parent with a baby that you are responsible for."

Yamato's hand shot up. "Is that everything?"

"No, we are going to be doing financial activities inside of class and each individual will be required to keep a journal regarding your feelings about this experience." She paused. "Everything else I have left out or you may need to know is in a packet inside the diaper bag. The bell will be ringing soon so it's time for the stork to come. Please form a line and stand with your spouse. You will be drawing for gender and number of kids."

Hikari gasped. "Number of kids?"

Ms. Greene smiled. "Yes, two couples will be blessed with twins."

"Twins!" Taichi exclaimed. "Oh God, please don't let us get twins! Please don't let us get twins!" He had crossed his fingers and clenched his eyes as Mimi reached into the box Ms. Greene was holding. She let out a shriek. "No!" Tai cried and I'm sure the people down the hall could hear him.

"Relax," she rolled her eyes, "we don't have twins. We have a baby GIRL! Oh this is going to be great! I'll get to dress her up in all sorts of things! I think I need to go shopping!"

My brunette friend still had his mouth open. Suddenly he threw his arms around Mimi and picked her up. "We don't have twins! We don't have twins! You and I would loose our heads if we had twins!"

"You lost your head a long time ago! Put me down!"

The class laughed as Taichi realized what he'd done. "Sorry, I was just so," Ms. Greene handed Mimi the baby carrier and baby and gave Tai the diaper bag and wristband, "wait…you're not going to dress her up in pink and do weird stuff to her?"

The look on Mimi's face gave it away. "Everything you need is inside the diaper bag! Please keep moving." Ms. Greene saved the day for all of us. I could tell she was just as relieved as Taichi that they had not gotten twins.

Yamato and I were in the middle of the line and things moved considerably faster now that Tai and Mimi were done. "Boy!" Hikari exclaimed.

"That works." Takeru replied. I rolled my eyes. They'd been glued to each other since admitting their feelings and frankly all the sap was making me sick.

Three couples later, it was our turn. I reached my hand into the box and grabbed a slip of paper. "So?"

"Girl," Yama smiled and as I looked at the paper again, I gulped, "and…boy…"

His eyes flashed towards the paper. "You mean?" he too read the sheet.

Smiling broadly Ms. Greene studied the paper. "It looks like the two of you are the first of two couples to the get the twins."

Go figure that would happen to us. Ms. Greene handed us each a baby, carrier, diaper bag, and wristband. "Ha! Ha! Have fun you two!" Taichi catcalled.

I flipped him off when Ms. Greene turned her back. "This is definitely going to make things interesting."

"You're telling me." The blond replied, as we walked to the door. "I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to be chaotic."

The last couple received their child at the bell. "Take care of your children!" Ms. Greene called and I had an odd feeling she was directing that comment at Taichi and Mimi.

My two best friends and I walked towards Physics. The soccer star was still laughing hysterically at Yama and me. "You two got screwed!"

"Actually, I'd say we're doing everyone a favor because you and Mimi would corrupt twins." Yamato retorted.

"Funny," Tai stuck out his tongue. "Actually this whole twins thing is probably the best thing that could happen to you two."

I rolled my eyes. "Why would that be, Taichi."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Because you two will get to spend even more time as a married couple with your kids, admit you love each other, and finally a few year later you'll have little Yama's and Sora's running around!"

"Would you just give up on trying to set us up?" Yamato barked. "If Sor and I…if something happens between us, we'll decide what to do about it."

"Please," I answered, "we're getting tired of everyone trying to hook us up. Can't you all just leave us alone?"

Taichi held up his hands as we walked into the classroom. "But if I'm not there to bug you about it, when are you going to get up the nerve to do it…"

I stood by my locker at the end of the day, holding the baby boy's carrier and waiting for Yama. I'm so glad classes are over and that I have a tennis match in the next coming hours. Tennis helps me relieve stress and after Ms. Greene introduced the babies, I'll say I could use some stress relief.

The babies are a scream, literally.

Yamato agreed to take notes for me in Physics while I read over the stuff Ms. Greene had put in the diaper bag. I swear, I don't know where she gets some of this stuff. It probably came from the same place she got those twenty year old movies from.

**So the Stork Came**

_You're life has just changed for the better. You are now the proud parent of a boy/girl (circle one) and must learn how to take care of your child. This doll will act like an actual child allowing you and your husband/wife (circle one) to experience what it is like to be a parent. I'm sure you already know that this baby has an internal computer and has the ability to cry…_

Well that document was a load of crap. I already knew everything on it. I moved on to the next sheet in the bag.

**The Joys of Parenthood—Assignment **

_There are a few key things you will need to do over the weekend as part of your assignment. One of the most important things is to give your child a name. I want a detailed family tree filled out along with your child's name written on it and brought to class on Monday._

_You will also need to journal on both Saturday and Sunday about how these first two days have gone. I want to know your thoughts and feelings; don't be afraid to be bluntly honest. The only one who will be reading these journal entries is me and though I normally don't approve of uncensored things like this, I want to know your true feelings. Good luck all…_

Great, in addition to watching the children we have to do more homework!

**Helpful Hints**

_If the baby starts crying, flip him or her onto her back and insert your wristband into the designated area (it shouldn't be too hard to find). Then in order to determine why it started crying, first hold the bottle up to its mouth. If nothing happens, then your baby was hungry. If it begins to cry again, this may happen immediately or after a few seconds, try something else, like rocking it. These…_

That was as far as I got because the next thing I knew, "WAHHHHHH!"

The class turned to face me and I felt my face immediately heat up. Quickly I turned the boy over and unbuttoned the back of the shirt he had come in. The paper had been right; it was very easy to find the right place for the wristband. I moved the indentation over the spot and the wristband went in. Remembering what the sheet had said, I stuck the bottle up to the baby's mouth.

He had stopped crying but everyone's eyes were still glued on me. "What class is that for, Ms. Takenouchi?"

"Child Development."

He nodded. "That figures. Anyone else here in that class?"

Taichi, Yamato, and one other girl raised their hands. Our teacher's glanced at each one but his eyes stopped on Taichi. "Why don't you have a child, Mr. Yagami?"

"She's with my wife."

The man grinned. "That child is very lucky." He opened his mouth to speak when the boy sitting on my desk decided he really wasn't hungry.

"WAHHH!"

I put the wristband back on the spot just under his neck and this time rocked him instead. He stopped crying and I prayed he wouldn't start again. Our teacher chuckled. "What I was going to say before…good luck."

Thankfully the baby didn't cry again and my two best friends and I headed to lunch. We met up with Mimi and decided to eat outside so we wouldn't be stared at should the babies cry.

"Yagami, you are taking her this afternoon! She cried three times during my last class and I almost got a detention!" Mimi cried. I explained to her everything I had read during Physics. "I wish I would have known that then. Well, it doesn't matter. I got her to quiet down eventually but you get her this afternoon, Tai."

Tai began shaking his head furiously. "No way! She'll cry all day if I have her. I'm not cut out to do this alone."

"And you think I am?" Mimi answered.

The brunette sighed. "Okay, how about if I take her for the next two classes and you take her the rest of the day."

"That's a little unfair," Yama interrupted, "because that means Mimi gets her over the weekend."

Tai rubbed the back of his neck. "Well we could always flip a coin to see who gets her tonight. Then the other person gets her Saturday night and so on."

Yama and I both snickered and Mimi glared at us. "That works for me."

"Okay, Mimi; it's my coin so I get to call it. I call tails." I fought the urge to laugh. Tai was going to use the new coin he showed me the other day.

As Taichi threw the coin in the air, I caught it. "No, Taichi, we're going to use my coin. This one has tails on both sides."

Mimi put her hands on her hips and stared Taichi down. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.

"Where'd you get that?" Yamato asked.

"Some freshman named Daisuke. He's on the soccer team and had a couple of them. I asked for one and he gave it to me. I figured it may come in handy some time."

"Well this time's not one of them!" Mimi shouted.

Yamato held up his hands. "As much as I hate to break this up, the bell's about to ring and it's getting really windy out here." The blond was right. I knew the weathermen had mentioned something about high winds and rainstorm for later tonight but I didn't think it would happen this early or even at all. "Sora, flip the coin."

"Tails!" Taichi called in the air.

I flipped it over and smirked at him. "Heads." He turned to look at the coin and cursed under his breath.

Mimi sighed in relief. "Thank God. I don't know what we'd do if we had two kids like you guys."

"I guess we're each taking care of one tonight." Yamato faced me. I was about to nod in agreement when something popped into my head. Crap. "What's with the look, Sor?"

"In all the excitement I kind of forgot I have a tennis match this afternoon. There's no way I can take one of the babies with me. If the baby started to cry during the match Coach would be pissed."

"But I have band practice. The guys aren't going to be thrilled if I show up with two kids, let alone one."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tai and Mimi sneak away, with Taichi carrying the baby.

"Yama, please, I'll come pick whichever one you want me to take up right after the match gets over. I swear!"

He sighed. "Sora, the guys are going to freak…"

"…and you don't think Coach will? We are playing the match that decides if we move onto tournaments. Everything rides on this match. I don't want to be the one to let the team down."

"Sora, you'll win. You always do."

I shook my head. "That's not what I mean, Yamato. The child will be a distraction. I won't be focusing all my energy on the match if I'm busy worrying about whether or not the kid will cry."

"But you can get someone else to help watch the baby."

"That's not the point. Please, Yama, just take both of them." The bell rang and we both stood up.

"Sora, I still don't see why you can't take one of them." We walked inside, still arguing. I turned around so I could face him.

"Yama, look, we're each going to be late for class if we don't go. If you change your stubborn mind, meet me by my locker after eighth hour." I walked off before he could say anything. We have a different class this period on Fridays. I go to PE while he helps out in the music center.

So there I was, standing at my locker hoping he would come. "Taichi, Mimi, have you guys seen Yama?"

"Nope," Mimi replied, "I think he left."

My head fell and as I was about to put grab my things from my locker, I heard my name being called. "Yamato."

"Hey, look, I'm sorry about before. I was an ass and shouldn't have said those things. I'll take both the kids. The guys won't be too happy with me, but hey, I'm the one in charge there, right?"

I smiled and handed him the carrier. "Apology accepted. Thank you so much! I'll be there to pick one of them up after the match gets over."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll just stop by your place and drop her off." I guess I'm watching the girl.

"But there won't be anyone home until I get back."

"That's right. Your parents are out of town. I guess you can pick her up."

Mimi smiled. "Your parents are out of town?"

"Yeah, but don't get any ideas."

"I'm not." She tried to sound innocent but I could tell the word party was running through her head.

"You know I could just stay over at your place tonight. Dad won't be home and that way if we have any problem with the kids we can figure it out." Yamato suggested.

"Okay." I answered, trying hard not to blush.

Taichi grinned stupidly. "You two gonna have a sleepover? Can I come?" Mimi jabbed him in the stomach. "Ouch! What was that…oohhhh! I gotcha. You two are going to have a "sleepover"."

Yamato and my mouth's both dropped. "Perverts!" the blond called as Mimi and Taichi both waved and darted off.

"We'll see you two tomorrow! Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Yamato!" Taichi shouted.

I faced the rock star. "I'd say it'd be more like don't do anything he would do…"

I ran down the sidewalk in the direction of the band's practice area. Well, I didn't run, I walked as fast as I could through the rain. I guess the weatherman was finally right. Our match had been canceled but Coach still made us stay and lift weights in the weight room.

During that time I had gotten four voice mails from Yama and after the first one figured out the problem. _Sora, I need you to get here fast! The boy won't stop crying! I don't have the wristband; you still do. Please call me back or get here as fast as you can._

The other three were like that and were spread over the course of an hour. Coach wouldn't let me leave or anyone else leave, claiming we needed to use this time to get more ready for the match because we'd be playing it next week instead. Finally she let us out when Gwen pointed outside and figured out it was raining pretty hard.

I had gathered up my things and rushed out the door. The Teen-Age Wolves practice about four blocks from our field house, where we'd been lifting weights. Getting there was not fun. It had started to rain harder as I reached the building and I was drenched when I finally walked in.

"Sora, thank God!" Akira shouted.

Takashi joined us and nearly pushed me inside. "Please, put us all out of our misery."

I could hear the baby screaming from the hallway and got in there as fast as I could. Yutaka and Yamato were in there with the two kids and Yutaka had his hands clenched over his ears.

I sat down next to them and Yamato's face lit up with a grin. Thirty seconds later the baby had finished crying and was happily back in his carrier. "Sora, you're a goddess!" Yutaka exclaimed. "I don't know how much longer I could have stood all the crying!"

"I would have gotten here sooner but Coach wouldn't let us out of practice. Our match got postponed so we were in the weight room. She only let us out now because it's down pouring outside."

Akira's eyes flashed in my direction. "Shit! I left the window in my car down! I'll see you guys tomorrow, I've got to be getting home anyway."

He dashed out the door and the other two laughed. I looked over at the blond but he had his eyes narrowed. Takaishi and Yutaka both seemed to know what that meant and both headed to the door. "Mom said to be home for supper tonight. Talk to you to later." Yutaka called.

"Yama?"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Never do that again."

"What? Forget to give you the bracelet?"

He nodded. "It was hell. We couldn't get anything done because the boy couldn't stop crying. He cried from nearly the moment I got him here."

"Why didn't you just come down and get the wristband from me?"

"Didn't want to disrupt your concentration. Any distractions would have screwed you up." He answered sarcastically.

I sighed. "Yama, I'm sorry. I completely forgot to give you the wristband but I won't do it again. But you know, you didn't exactly ask for it either."

"Because I thought you had remembered everything!" he shouted.

"Look, it was a mistake! We all make mistakes. It wasn't like I purposely forgot to give it to you. Get over it!" I shouted back.

He folded his arms. "Because you forgot to give me the damn wristband we got absolutely nothing done here! The guys were pissed!"

He walked over to a folding chair and sat down. "Yama," I followed him over and knelt down by his side. "Look, yelling at each other is going to get us nowhere. We're both under a lot of added stress from these babies but if all we do is bitch at each other, things aren't going to be looking good for us or our grade. I'm sorry I forgot to give you the wristband. I was sure I had everything for you but I guess I didn't."

His cerulean eyes looked into mine. "I'm sorry too. I overreacted. I'm saying sorry a lot, aren't I?"

"Hey, a lot of it's stress and coming from this class. Jyou never told us we'd have to do this."

Yamato stood up and smiled at me. "Jyou also didn't tell us the teacher he had was planning on retiring either." He offered me his hand and pulled me up. "Come on, I'll drop you off at your apartment, grab some clothes from my place, you order us a pizza, and I'll be back."

I laughed as we each picked up a kid and made a dash for his car. "What kind?"

"Hmmmm…" we both were very soaked by the time we reached the car. "Taco."

"That sounds good." I replied. He dropped me off at my place with both the babies and reappeared fifteen minutes later. "Jeez, I thought the pizza would be here before you."

"Funny. I would have been here sooner but I was looking around for this." He held up a DVD is his hands: _Shrek 2._ (Not mine!)

"Yama, you are such a kid!"

He gave me an indignant look. "Come now, Sora. It's a good movie! And I think the kids will like it too!" the blond gestured to the babies and I hit him on the shoulder.

"You are a dork." He gave me his charming smile and I rolled my eyes. The pizza delivery guy came and Yama and I flipped a coin to see who would pay. God, we're starting to act like Taichi and Mimi.

"My coin. Tails!" I called. I flipped the coin and we both looked at it. "Tails."

"Damn," the blond paid the guy and we spent the rest of the night eating pizza, watching the DVD, and catching up. It was good to have time to talk. We'd seen it other so much but hadn't really had time to hang out like friends for awhile.

Around 11:30, as some television movie was playing, I glanced over at the blond. We were sitting on the sofa wrapped up in the blanket while the two babies, the girl we had named Megumi and the boy we had named Ryo were on the floor. "Yama, this was fun. We need to do it again."

"Yeah," he yawned and it appeared he was half asleep. "Sure."

"We could do this tomorrow and invite all the others."

"Whatever you say." He wasn't even listening to me.

"You are a hairy goat, Yamato."

"Yep, night Sor."

I snickered. "Good night, Yama." I wasn't tired though. I pulled out the notebook I had set beside me and searched around for a pen. Tomorrow should be fun. I found the pen and there was a coin next to it. Grinning, I flipped it over. I knew I didn't give Tai back the coin with tails on both sides for a reason…

A/N: The babies in here are based upon the dolls the Child Development class at my school gets. I found out all the information because at the moment the people in the class have the babies and it's really funny to watch! Please review!!!!


	9. Taking it Easy

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Yay! Two tests done, five to go! Lol! I hate semester finals/tests/exams/midterms whatever you want to call them. The only good thing about this week is that I get out early every day and have no school on Friday! So here's chapter 9. Please R&R!

**_Sweet-sorato: _**_I much prefer dolls to eggs or veggies! Lol!_

**_Nickygirl:_**_ "A Million Points of Light", the final episode of season 2. It tells what jobs everyone got. I had to change a few to make them work but for the most part they're the same._

**_Cute-cleo: _**_Glad you like!_

**_K: _**_Thanks…_

**_B.R. Wells:_**_ Thanks for all the reviews! Taichi would be one to eat baby food…_

**_Kat:_**_ I was really considering adding that but ::whispers:: there's some kissing in here._

**_Princessstphanie:_**_ Thanks for the review!_

**_Dave: _**_Hope midterms went well…I despise them._

**_Emotionless gurls37:_**_ Yamato says the exact same thing somewhere in here…_

**_Kira toa of the blade:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Xymi Angel Ghost:_**_ Tai is always my favorite to write._

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ I haven't seen one go off in class but no doubt it's amusing. Sora lectures…ugh, bad word choice…"explains" to Hikari and Mimi her views about perfect…_

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Kazama Fangirl:_**_ Don't worry about it. I like reviews that tell me what I'm doing well and what can be improved on…usually, lol!...that way the story turns out the best it can be. When it came to choosing a movie, I wanted to have something in their about the kids liking it or being too young…Shrek 2 was the first thing that came to mind…_

**_Blondie121147:_**_ The twins thing was Crazyamzy's idea but I couldn't resist putting it in…_

**_Tehee: _**_Thanks! I wanted to tai Davis in here somehow._

**_Youkaiwriter:_**_ Glad you like it!_

**_Jodi Crystal:_**_ They do say picking on someone or teasing someone of another gender is a sign of flirting…at least I think they say that…_

**_Scorpion05:_**_ Tai wouldn't be the first person I'd call to babsit, unless of course it was for his little sister. The band had two wait…let's see, thirty minutes sounds good. I loved Shrek 2! I was trying to think of a "kids" movie so that the dolls, had they been real, would like it! Lol! Btw, the golf ball didn't hit the cows!_

**_Mini Moose:_**_ Yikes! A twin and older sister…lucky, I think._

**_Animesmistress419:_**_ Yep, the dolls do have computers and they record everything!_

**_Indigowolf:_**_ I agree!_

**_Moneymakesmesmile:_**_ ::smiles:: thank you!_

**_Kawaii-konnichiwa:_**_ I haven't seen any teacher blow up over them. I think they get a kick outta them…the Child Development teacher sure does!_

**_Armitage:_**_ I had to laugh when I read your review. My school is definitely not loaded. Lol! We unfortunately, being a private school, don't get government funding. At the moment the school launched a campaign to raise 5 million dollars for the school in the future and we're halfway there. Maybe we'll finally get a heating system that works in the winter instead of the summer and air-conditioning that works in the summer and not winter…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ T.K. had a coin like that but __Davis__ uses it on the show when he and T.K. are arguing about whom will save Kari. I'd say at the moment, having kids is not in the near distant future…first Yama and Sora have to get together._

**_Dream-rose/fanfictionist: _**_It's no problem. Glad you did get to review!_

**_Kkornelia:_**_ I'm not sure how much they actually do cost. _

**_Inconnu:_**_ Thanks! ::smiles:: I think writing this fic has scared me away from taking that class. Lol! My schedule's already full anyway._

**_Starr-lover:_**_ They'll actually only have the kids, really, for about a week and a few days. If I had to watch one, it probably would die!_

**_SoratoFan:_**_ Thanks! Peace…_

**_Dark Magician and Holy Mage:_**_ My sophomore English teacher was petrified of clowns!_

Chapter 9: Taking it Easy

"Dude, I can't believe Sora's mom gave you a key to their apartment."

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Hello! It's you!"

I heard the voices around me and slowly opened my eyes. The sun was coming in through the windows and I could tell it was morning. Opening my eyes, I realized I wasn't in my bed but on the couch, wrapped in Yamato's arms.

As the four intruders came closer, I shut my eyes. It was obvious who they were, I just wanted to know why exactly they were here, especially this early in the morning.

"I wonder if Sora's got any food here!"

"Is that all you think about, big brother?'

"Obviously it is! He left our doll in your dad's work van overnight and couldn't remember where he put her! She had been crying all night. Ms. Greene is going to fail us dismally!"

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Sadly, I can see Taichi doing that. "I said I was sorry."

"You'll be more than sorry if we fail this class, Taichi Yagami!"

"Easy, Meems. You can beat him up later." The voice paused. "Hey, isn't that cute?"

"Aww…they fell asleep together."

"Please tell me they're both fully clothed!"

"Taichi!"

"Sorry!" I could hear the group walk over in front of us. The bushy haired male kneeled down and waved a hand in front of my face. "Can I scare her?" he begged. "AHHH!"

It wasn't he who scared me but the other way around. Hikari and Mimi started laughing at the startled expression on the brunette's face. "Why are you guys here?"

Mimi finished laughing at Taichi and faced me. "How long have you been up? And aren't you missing a few people?"

"Oh, Koushiro is at a math competition and Gwen has a family reunion." Takeru answered my second question. "Sucks to be them. We thought we'd come over and check up on you." He set the baby carrier down on the coffee table next to another one, which I assumed belonged to Tai and Mimi.

I unwrapped myself from Yama's arms and moved the blanket, standing up and yawning loudly. "Since you guys got here. But I was up like eleven times during the night with Ryo and Megumi. They refused to stop crying."

"You look exhausted." Takeru replied. "Didn't Yamato help?"

I just stared at the younger blond. "He was out at 11:30 last night. I called him a hairy goat and he agreed with me." Taichi and Takeru both snickered, no doubt planning on calling him that later. "And we all know Yama's just like Tai. They could both sleep through a hurricane and tornado."

Taichi moved in front of the blond. "Yaaammmaaatto!" he cried. "Yaaammmaaatto!"

The blond didn't stir and we surrounding Taichi had to laugh at his crazy failed attempt to wake the rock star up. Smirking, I got an idea. I sat back down next to him and cupped my hands over his ear. "Yama, Tai's here and he's ready to dye your hair. You didn't forget you promised to let him dye it purple, right?"

Yamato shot up and looked around. Rubbing his eyes, he looked from face to face until his blue orbs finally landed on me. "That was mean, Sor."

"What'd she tell you?" Hikari asked.

"Taichi was going to dye my hair purple!" he mumbled, shedding the blanket before standing up and stretching.

"Ooh!" the brunette exclaimed. "That's awesome! Can we try it? Sora, do you have any purple dye?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Are you positive?"

I rolled my eyes. "Weren't you hungry?"

Hikari laughed. "When is he not hungry?"

"Good point," I replied. "Mom and dad left a lot of food so we can go and eat."

"That's exactly the thing I wanted to hear." Taichi announced, leading the group into the kitchen.

I picked up Megumi and her carrier while Matt took Ryo. "Sor, you look really tired. Didn't you get enough sleep?"

I shook my head, realizing he hadn't been part of the conversation this morning. "These two kept screaming all night."

He gave me a look of confusion. "They did?"

That made me laugh. "Ishida, you can sleep through anything. They were very loud last night and early this morning."

Yamato gave me a small smile. "I'm sorry. Why didn't you wake me?"

I shook my head. "You would have been half asleep. And you don't pay much attention when you're half asleep."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, you still could have woken me up." He paused. "I guess this is payback for you forgetting to give me the bracelets last night."

"Didn't we already argue about this and decide to drop the topic?"

"Yes, but I'm instituting it again."

I sighed as we entered the kitchen and discovered the others, most likely Tai, had found the food. "Yama, for the hundredth time, I didn't do it intentionally. It was a mistake."

"Why are you two arguing?" Takeru asked while taking a seat at the table.

His older brother set Ryo down. "I watched both kids yesterday while she was at tennis. Ryo cried for an hour because Sora had his wristband."

Hikari winced. "That's nothing compared to what Tai and Mimi went through."

"What exactly happened?" I asked as I began warming up various foods.

Tai swallowed the sausage he'd begun to eat. "Okay, this is exactly what happened. Dad picked me up from soccer last night and I set Sakura, the doll, on the floor of the backseat. Well, I had so much other stuff with me that I kind of forget about her and left her in the van."

"Why didn't you go back and get her?" Yamato answered.

"Because my aunt was at our place and we were actually having edible food and plus it was pouring outside and mom was going to yell at me if I went back outside."

I've tasted his mom's cooking before and believe me, just about anything is better than it. Real food is a rarity at the Yagamis. But I can see where he's coming from on both levels. "You still should have remembered her, Taichi."

"Yeah, I know."

"Can we just stop talking about the dolls?" Hikari demanded. "It seems they're bringing a lot of stress and unwanted arguments!" Yamato and I exchanged a guilty look while both Mimi and Taichi avoided eye contact. "Thank you."

The rest of breakfast went by very fast. I hope mom and dad didn't expect that food to last me all weekend because there's absolutely nothing left. Guess I'll just go out to eat tomorrow.

When we had finished, the others and their children went into the living room to watch _Shrek 2_ (Not mine!) while Yamato and I stayed behind to clean up. "Yam…"

"Sor…"

"Let's just put those two things behind us."

He nodded. "That's what I was going to say. We've gotten into more arguments since we got the kids than before."

"Ms. Greene was right," I responded, "everything up until now was easy. It's not like we're going to play a bunch of ridiculous games in real life. The kids are the most realistic things she's thrown at us so far."

Yamato grinned. "I agree. In the future, how about we try talking things over civilly before deciding to yell and scream?"

"That sounds like a plan."

"Good, cause I don't like being mad at you; it's depressing!" We both laughed, walking into the living room. "Maybe Taichi and Mimi could use that same philosophy."

The two were sitting in the room still arguing, much softer than before. Hikari was shooting them both a dangerous look but it appeared neither noticed. "Yama, I have an idea. I'll take Mimi and Hikari somewhere if you and the guys stay here and hang out. It'll give everyone a chance to cool off…"

"…what's the catch? There's always a catch." He raised an eyebrow.

"You guys keep the dolls."

"I knew it sounded too good to be true. I don't know, Sor…"

"Please, Yamato? We all need a break badly. We've been spending way to much time together as "married couples" and it'll be good if everyone can hang out alone, just girls and just guys. It just seems like I don't get to see them that often anymore. I'm either always at tennis, working on homework or…with you."

His eyes widened. "We have been spending a lot of time together alone. I do miss just seeing the guys." I knew I almost had him convinced. "Alright, but here's the deal, if I watch both the kids today, you watch them both Monday and Tuesday while I have band practice."

I bit my lip. "Tuesday is when they rescheduled our tennis match for. I need you to watch them both that night."

"Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday then?"

"Okay," I sighed, "I can manage that. Thank you for agreeing. Now we just got to convince the others." I grabbed the remote from the top of the TV and hit pause.

"Hey!" Taichi protested, "It was just getting to the good part!"

"Ladies, you're coming with me. Guys, you and the kids are staying here."

"What's going on?" Takeru asked, standing up.

Yamato walked over next to me. "The girls are going out and we're babysitting."

"REALLY!" Mimi exclaimed and I nodded.

"When did we agree to this?" Taichi exclaimed.

"You didn't; I did." Yama answered. "Look, we all need a break and we may as well start here. It's not going to be that horrible guys. Think about it, you two only have to deal with one kid. I have to watch two."

"I guess Kai hasn't been too bad lately." Takeru replied, motioning to the doll he and Hikari had.

"You're agreeing to this?!?!" Taichi turned to the younger blond.

"Look Tai," I've got to convince him, "if nothing else you can use this as a good deed for Child Development. Wouldn't Ms. Greene be impressed if she read in your journal that you volunteered to watch Sakura while you let your wife hang out with her friends?"

Mimi and Taichi's eyes met. "That just might balance out locking her in your dad's van." The pink-haired girl stood up.

Taichi joined her. "Meaning she wouldn't fail us."

"And daddy won't cancel my credit cards!"

"And I won't have to listen to you whine and complain!"

They looked at each other again. "Let's do this!" Mimi and Tai began jumping up and down and hugged each other. "We're not going to fail!"

Hikari, the two blondes, and I all were doubled over in laughter. It's hilarious what the two of them can come up with.

"If you're finished, the women can leave." Yamato announced.

Tai and Mimi realized what they were doing and pulled away. "Sorry, we were so overcome with happiness." Taichi explained.

"I picked that up." I responded rather dryly.

"So what all are we going to do?" Hikari asked.

Before I could say a word, Mimi had already answered for me. "Shopping! And then we can go back to my place and sit in the hot tub daddy just bought!"

I rolled my eyes. Mimi had told me about it. Her father had just recently installed it and Meems had been dying for us to come over. I guess there are quite a few benefits to being wealthy.

"What about us? Can we come?" Yamato pouted.

I shook my head. "Girls day out, remember?"

"Don't worry guys, when this project is over, I'll throw a party to celebrate."

Takeru smiled. "I like that idea!"

"I'm going to go get my swimsuit. You two go over to get Kari's stuff and I'll meet you at my car in five minutes."

"Okay," they answered, walking out the door.

I entered my room and Taichi hit play on the VCR. "Are you sure I can't come? I look pretty darn good in swimming trunks, if I do say so myself."

Laughing, I pulled my suit out and put it in a bag. "As much as I don't doubt that, it's ladies day. You said that yourself earlier, Yamato." I grabbed my purse and joined the blond on my bed.

"I know. What time are you guys going to be back?"

"I'll have us here by 8:00 at the latest. It's already almost 1:00. You guys'll be fine." I took the wristband off my arm and handed it to the boy. "Feel free to raid the fridge. You and Tai know where everything else is too."

"Yeah," he replied and patted my leg. "You should get going. Have fun."

"Of course." I answered. "You have fun with those two."

"Don't I always?" He gave me his charming smile as I left the apartment. The second I shut the door, I heard one of the doll's cry out. I could tell from the pitch of the cry it wasn't Ryo or Megumi. The guys are definitely going to have an interesting day…

* * *

"So has he kissed you yet, I mean other than that time in class?" Mimi asked as we sat in the Tachikawas new hot tub in their large house/mansion or whatever fits best.

Hikari sadly shook her head. "No, unfortunately."

I rolled my eyes. That's all they've been talking about since we've been here! Boys! Now I really don't mind girl talk but honestly, if I hear another word about how perfect Koushiro or Takeru is, I'm going to throw up!

"Don't worry, Hikari, he'll get around to it soon, I'm sure."

"I hope so. He's just so perfect…"

"Oh my God, what fun is there in having a perfect guy?" I finally snapped. "Seriously guys, perfect is good for a while but then it's just too boring. What do you have to look forward to if your guy never makes any little mistakes you get to tease him about? Or complain to your friends when he does something that really annoys you? And you never wonder what you'll argue about next or the way he'll find to apologize to you or the way you'll have to admit you're wrong…"

"But Sora, don't you tend to think Yamato is perfect?" Mimi asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "Yamato and I aren't going out."

"But you should be." Hikari countered.

"Yeah, we probably should be but just think about it." I replied. "I started to think he was perfect as well when we started this game but no one is perfect. He's got his flaws and problems. I've always known that. But I built up this false image of him being perfect and flawless and he apparently did the same thing for me. That's the reason we've gotten into a few dumb arguments as of late. Back before this game, he and I got into a share of arguments and debates but none of them were this stressful."

Hikari sighed. "I guess but why can't Takeru be perfect?"

I smiled. "As much as we try, we'll never understand guys. It's just the way it is. But really, like I said before, why worry about making your guy out to be perfect when he's already good the way he is?"

Mimi nodded. "That makes sense. I never thought of it that way." She paused and an evil smirk grazed her face. "For not being "involved", you're pretty knowledgeable about this subject."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Hikari caught on. "Well, you did just admit that you and Yamato should be going out." My face paled. Shit, I did say that. "Please do yourself a favor and admit you like him."

I guess I'm already deep into this. There's really no more use in denying it. I could say it was a slip of the tongue, but…well, they know me better than that. In a nearly inaudible voice I finally relented, "I like Yama as more than a friend."

Mimi and Hikari both let out a shriek. "See, that wasn't so hard."

"Now what are you going to do about it?" Kari asked.

"I don't know, but you had better not tell anyone."

Mimi gave Kari a sly look and whispered something in her ear. They both faced me. "You have three days to let Yamato know. We'll keep our moths shut if you do but if not…"

"Are you blackmailing me?" I asked incredulously.

"Sora, if we don't do this, you and Yamato may never get together." Mimi said.

"I can't believe you guys would do this." I took a deep breath. "Fine. Three days. I will let him know."

Hikari gave Mimi a high five. "Great, now let's get back to your place. I bet the guys are going crazy…"

* * *

"You're not going to get it!" Takeru catcalled.

"Don't choke, Hairy Goat!" Taichi taunted. We walked into my apartment and almost started laughing. The guys hadn't notice our presence yet.

"What the hell? Hairy goat?" Yamato turned his attention away from the table and faced the brunette.

"Had you been paying attention yesterday, brother, you'd probably understand." Takeru gave him a sly look.

"Okay…I'll just go back to my turn." The older blond rolled his eyes, obviously confused at why Taichi had called him that. I laughed to myself while trying to figureout what the guys were up to.

They were gathered around the coffee table playing Jenga. (Not mine!) The stack had grown incredibly high and Yamato was trying to get another one out while the other two tried to screw him up. "Got it!" the older blond called triumphantly, placing it on the top.

Takeru groaned and attempted to get a block out. "Shut up you two." He growled while they laughed at him. He grabbed a block and miraculously pulled it out of the shaking stack.

"Damn it." Taichi's turn was next. He spotted a block and way midway through pulling it out when…

"WAHHHHHHHH!"

Tai's moved his hand in surprise and the whole tower came crashing down on him. Everyone else in the room began cracking up and Yamato went over to Megumi. "That's my girl!" he exclaimed while putting the wristband in her back.

"Not funny, Ishida." Tai cursed as he dug himself out of the pile.

"I thought it was hilarious." Mimi laughed.

The guys finally noticed we were there. We walked further into the room and Kari and I set our shopping bags down.

"Thank God you guys are here!" Takeru called. "We were getting bored."

"How long were you playing Jenga?" Hikari asked.

"Half an hour." Yamato supplied.

"That explains it." We three girls answered in unison. Mimi looked at her watch. "Well, it's 8:15 right now. I have plans with Koushiro tonight." She got up and turned to leave.

"Don't forget Sakura!" Taichi stopped her from leaving. "I watched her last night and today." Mimi sighed but nonetheless took the doll and diaper bag from Taichi, who looked very relieved.

"See you guys."

"What do you guys want to do now that Mimi decided to leave us to go spend time with her boyfriend?" Taichi asked after murmuring something about Mimi under his breath. Do I sense some jealously there? I think someone's developing a little crush!

"We could watch another movie." Takeru suggested.

I wrinkled my nose. "Maybe later."

"We could play a game!" Hikari replied.

"Make it good though." Yama answered.

"I got it!" Taichi finally announced. "Strip spoons!"

"WHAT???"

"It's like regular spoons, but instead of getting the letters S-P-O-O-N-S you lose an article of clothing each time you lose."

I stared around from face to face. It was an idea and nobody else was suggesting anything…

Half an hour later, Takeru was missing his shoes and one sock. Hikari was wearing her shorts and the tank top she had under her shirt. Yamato was missing his socks, shoes, and shirt. Taichi only had his boxers on and I was in my jeans and bra. Fun, no?

Actually, it was surprisingly entertaining. The game, I mean. We had all had a good laugh as Taichi had been the first to lose. It appeared he'd be naked, a sight none of us wanted to see, very soon but miraculously he went on this large winning streak. But then he began to lose again. Even he was laughing as he had to take off his pants.

I was very self-conscious about taking off my shirt when I lost my fourth hand but I eventually got over the initial shock. Taichi and Yamato had both stared at me until I gave the brunette sitting next to me a hard kick in the shin. I glared at the blond across the table and he gulped after seeing what I did to Taichi. So with a wink, he looked away.

With the game over, we gathered our clothing and put everything back on before settling down to watch a movie. Feeling sorry for Taichi, we decided to let him choose. Let's just say it was a good thing the dolls were number one, not real and number two, sleeping at the time. But he did choose a good movie.

When the movie finally ended, the two Yagamis and Takeru took their leave. Yamato walked over to me. "Well babysitting went well. Megumi and Ryo only cried a few times. Keru and Tai weren't so lucky."

"I'm glad to hear that," I answered as he handed me one of the wristbands. "Well the part about our kids being good. I guess I get Megumi for the rest of the weekend."

"You guessed right. I better be getting home. Dad's actually off work for tonight." He gave me a hug and I returned it. "I hope she doesn't keep you up again."

"I agree. And thanks for all the help today and yesterday." I whispered and leaned my face up to give him a kiss on the cheek. But he moved his head at that exact moment.

Our lips met lightly at the unexpected kiss but soon we were both into it. I pulled him closer while deepening the kiss. I could tell he was a little shocked by my movements but it didn't take him long to kiss me back. His tongue found its way into my mouth and I let out a moan. We kept kissing, neither of us wanting to let go.

"WAHHHHHH!!!" It was Ryo this time. Yama and I pulled apart quickly, both blushing. He picked up the doll and after another few minutes, deciding he was tired not hungry, Ryo stopped.

The blond faced me while still holding Ryo. We both looked at each other, neither of us knowing what to say. "I'd better go." Yamato said as the silence grew more and more awkward.

"Yeah," I mumbled half-heartedly, really wishing he would tell me if he felt something from the kiss. I tried to get my mouth to work, to tell him that I cared about him a lot, maybe even loved him, but no words came out.

"Talk to you tomorrow." He waved once and I walked out the door.

I sighed as the door shut and I heard his footsteps echoing down the stairs. Mimi and Hikari are right. I've gotta tell him how I feel soon. Very soon…

A/N: Please review! This story's still got another four or five chapters left. I had to rework it out; the original ending was too…blah…well hope you enjoyed this. "To the Highest Bidder" should be done by Sunday at the latest. I'm now going to suffer through studying for my three semester finals for tomorrow…


	10. Day 1, The Amazing Race

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**_Rache: _**_I'm glad you like it!_

**_Moo:_**_ I babysat my five year old niece during summer, and we'd play "The Game of Life" everyday. The idea for babies came from the Child Development class at my school, and everything else is basically spur of the moment…_

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ No, I didn't get to see it, and it really ticked me off. Desert in __California__, huh? Well, right now I'm getting snow in the __Midwest__…lucky me :;rolls eyes;:_

**_Nickygirl:_**_ Yes, I agree too…_

**_Scorpion05:_**_ Funny story about the Tai thing: one of the girls in my grade locked her baby in her truck overnight and left it there during school. And that was before she spilt beer on it at a party and ruined the internal computer…but I wouldn't have Tai do that. I could see him forgetting the doll in a car though._

**_Only Secret:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Kat:_**_ Glad you like it!_

**_Animemistress419:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Kuroi Black Nightingale:_**_ Queen..:;laughs;: I don't know about that…_

**_Money makes me smile:_**_ :;smiles;: Thanks! Have fun with that science subject…I remember studying it last year with my scary bio teacher! Lol!_

**_Kay:_**_ Tai is a ham…_

_**Sorato-cool:** It won't let me type an equal's sign in your name, sorry...T__hanks for the idea, but I've already got the rest of the fic planned out…_

**_Jodi Crystal:_**_ Now if only you were Sora's conscience…_

**_Dream-rose/fanfictionist:_**_ It does suck to be in suspense; heck, I'm in suspense, and I'm writing the story!_

**_Direwolf1427:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Ballet Kitty:_**_ Sorta, kinda…but not really…_

**_Sorato-takari:_**_ Hope they went well…_

**_Inconnu:_**_ Don't worry; Tai's just got one of those innocent lil' crushes that lasts for like a week…you know the kind where the next week you're like, why the hell did I like him/her?_

**_PyRoWiRe:_**_ Thanks!_

**_CherryBlossomSky:_**_ Hope your exams went well, mine surprisingly did. I got like a 60 on Chemistry but still passed the test with a B and my final grade was an A-. Thank God for large, large curves!_

**_Princessstephanie:_**_ My finals weren't that well. Like I said, I did surprisingly well and even got my ranking in the class to jump!_

**_Armitage:_**_ Yeah, in my case I go to a parochial school. I go to a Catholic one, but it's nothing like the stereotypical ones. We've gotta wear uniforms and stuff, but from what I've heard from people who went a few years in the catholic school and then transferred to the public one because of cost, my school offers a better, higher education…_

**_Yukina/Maya:_**_ Sometime in the three days…_

**_Teehee:_**_ Thanks!_

**_SoratoFan:_**_ Thanks!_

**_BrnttsDoItBest:_**_ I could see Tai suggesting strip spoons…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Yeah, thankfully, that's the last of the purple hair thing…_

Chapter 10: Day 1—The Amazing Race

Sleep eluded me last night. All night the promise I'd made to Mimi and Hikari ran through my head. I would try to fall asleep, but five minutes after I shut my eyes, they'd flash open.

It was just one of those nights when I had so much running through my head that I couldn't concentrate on one thing or another. First I focused on the kiss. Then my thoughts moved to the game itself, the dolls, the end of class, and finally graduation. One thought led to another and before I knew it, it was time to get up.

Sunday went by incredibly slowly. Everyone was busy and I was incredibly bored. Taichi and Hikari were out shopping with their parents, Koushiro was working on some computer program, and Yamato and Takeru were out of town with their mom. I talked to Mimi briefly on the phone before she headed off to this cheerleading camp with the other cheerleaders.

Thankfully, in the short ten minutes I talked to her, I managed to get the three days I have to tell Yamato to start tomorrow. She was really hesitant, but I convinced her by saying he was out today, and if it happened on a school day, she'd have a better chance of finding out for sure. I definitely don't want her or Kari to tell Yamato. That's so seventh grade, having someone else ask someone out for you.

So with nothing to do, I spent the day tidying up the house and writing some things down in my journal for Child Development. The day came and went. Mom and Dad returned home but there was nothing to special about that.

I went to sleep, and unfortunately faced the same insomnia I suffered the previous night.

"Sora, you look a bit tired." Mom mused as I headed to the kitchen.

I tried to deny it, but I couldn't keep from yawning. "I couldn't get to sleep the past two nights."

Dad chuckled as he gathered up things and put them in his briefcase. "Did you have a lot on your mind?"

Nodding my head, I walked over to get something to eat. Mom laughed. "Our teenage years were exactly the same way, Haruhiko. We were always lacking sleep, cramming for tests, talking on the phone with each other, and those kinds of things. I'm sure you'll figure out your problems and things soon."

Is she psychic? Who knows? "Well, I've got to run," I responded, grabbing a pastry and picking up Megumi, "see you guys later."

I arrived at school fifteen minutes later, just in time for first period. Dropping Megumi off in Ms. Greene's room, I managed to sit down at my table just as the tardy bell rang.

"Wow, Sora, you look kind of tired." Mimi mused.

"Class, continue working on your projects. Seniors, you have officially six days, counting today, to finish your project and present it." Our art teacher drowned on.

"You could say that." I replied, taking out my paper and charcoal pencils.

"Didn't you get any sleep?" Mimi replied, as she grabbed her watercolors and painting.

I shook my head. "Unfortunately not for the past two nights." I sighed. "I've had too much going on in my head."

"Yamato?" she murmured, just above a whisper.

I only had to look at her, and she knew it was true. "I'm trying to muster up the courage to tell him."

Mimi laughed. "Well, you could make things easier on yourself by not telling him. Then Hikari and I will do it for you!"

"I think I can handle it." I grumbled. This isn't turning out to be the best day.

I spent the rest of class ignoring Mimi's teasing about Yama and trying to concentrate on finishing my drawing. For my end of the year art final, I elected to make a charcoal drawing of a group of familiar people.

The subjects of my drawing were my friends, all hanging out by the big oak tree in the park. I had finished with Taichi and Yamato but still had the other four plus myself to finish in the next six days. The brunette was standing up and juggling a soccer ball on his knee. Our other best friend was resting against the tree with his arms behind his head, carefree, cool, and collective.

I had ideas for what the others would all look like, and now it was just a matter of finishing up the project. I became lost in my work, so wrapped up in the drawing that I didn't realize the time until Mimi tapped me on the shoulder. "Sor, we've got five minutes to clean…oh my God!"

"What!" I exclaimed, seeing her face looking down upon my drawing. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! That looks just like me, and that's so awesome Sora!" I had managed to finish Mimi inside the drawing. She was holding up a shopping bag and showing off her newest purchases to the group.

I smiled a bit. "It just seemed like something you'd do."

She gave me an evil grin as I put the drawing away and went over to the sink to wash my hands. "You really could do that job you ended up getting in Child Development." I raised an eyebrow. Fashion designer? "Of course!" she exclaimed, sensing my doubt. "You were so detail oriented in the portrait. If you look closely at the outfits you put us each in, you'll see they're all your own inventions."

Not believing her, I headed over to check out the drawing and sadly had to agree with her. Art was something I'd always considered going into. Truthfully, at this moment, I wasn't sure on what I wanted to study in college. Maybe I could do that…

* * *

I carelessly wandered from class to class, still incredibly tired. Finally it was time for Child Development. "Sor, you look…" 

"…tired, yeah I know." I replied, sitting down next to Yamato. "You're not the first person to tell me that."

"Did Megumi keep you up all night?"

I had to smile. "Megumi was a…doll…no pun intended. She really wasn't that bad. She cried a lot during the day yesterday, but she only woke up once during the night."

"So why are you so tired?" He wouldn't give up.

"I have a lot of things on my mind."

"Like what?"

I looked into his cerulean eyes. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Because, I'm a little worried about you."

"Why?"

He groaned. "You're making things difficult; you do know that, right?"

"I don't see what you're so worried about."

"The fact you didn't get any sleep." Yamato answered.

I rolled my eyes. "Well don't worry about it."

Our little debate was cut off when Ms. Greene walked into the room and the bell rang. "Good morning to all of you. I hope your weekend with your children went well."

Groans echoed all across the room, and I could tell there were plenty of sob stories to be told. "I can't wait until this class is over," I heard Taichi mutter.

"Given the response I just received, I would like to inform you we will be taking it easy today. It's time for another game." This time cheers greeted her response. Ms. Greene held up a hand. "Please let me finish. We're going to need a lot of time if we want to get this game finished today. We may even end up going into the next class period."

"So what's the game?" Someone called out.

Ms. Greene grinned. "Before I get to that, I'd like to first hand out some forms to each of you. Tomorrow you will be job shadowing a person who holds the same career you have chosen for this class. I've called up a bunch of different people and you will spend three class periods, this, the next one, and lunch hour at your chosen occupation. Please take this form home to your parent/guardian and have them sign it, stating you are allowed to go. Transportation will be provided."

Our teacher went down the rows, giving each one of us a piece of paper with our location. "Some of you may be wondering why the places you're going don't exactly match up with the careers you received. The answer to that question: some of those jobs couldn't be found in this city so I matched you up with the closest thing."

"Where are you at?" Yamato whispered.

"Ayami Tanaka, she's a fashion designer/artist."

"Oh, I'm with Ichiro Oshiro. He's an astronomer. I guess that's the closest thing to astronaut, huh?"

"Apparently. It should be interesting though." We were both silent, and I felt my heart begin to beat. This is it. "Yamato?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something."

"What?" he asked voice full of concern. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, I just…"

"Class, can I please have your attention!" Ms. Greene yelled to be heard. "We don't have much time."

"Tell me later, okay." Yamato commanded, squeezing my hand lightly.

"Make sure you bring these slips back tomorrow or you will not be able to attend the job shadow. But moving onto today, we're going to play a rather…interesting game. The prize for winning is that the winning pair will NOT have to take care of their baby/babies over the coming weekend." Immediately the class began to clap and cheer.

"We've got to win this one!" Yamato exclaimed.

"You're telling me." It would definitely make any date we may go on much better.

"How many of you are familiar with _The Amazing Race_?" (Not mine, obviously!)

A great deal of my classmates' hands shot up. Ms. Greene smiled and started to talk again. "Instead of just being off in search of random things and clues, you all are off in search of different items for your babies. Each of you will be given the same clue, a riddle, and from there you will have to figure out where it leads you."

"Isn't that just a bit different then the actual television game?" Koushiro asked.

"Yes, I'm making some alterations for our lack of time and location. The first clue leads to a specific location. At that first pit stop you will find an item for your child/children. There are fourteen different items, in example baby bottles, at the place. Take only one of them, with the exception of those who have twins, and pick up one of the twelve clues. The next clue will direct you somewhere different. Any questions before I continue?"

Tai raised his hand. "So basically we're on a big treasure hunt. That doesn't sound too challenging to me."

Mimi groaned. "Great, Taichi, you just jinxed us! There's ALWAYS a catch."

Ms. Greene laughed. "You're right, Mimi, there is a catch, actually two. Both partners have to go to the location the clue states. If, for example, it told to go into the gym, both of you would have to go inside. One person couldn't wait outside while the other went in. And the second catch: once you are able to crack the second clue, you will be led to another destination. It is there that you will have to pass a "roadblock". It is a specific task only one person gets to do. A couple of the teacher's who have free periods at the moment are awaiting each group's arrival there. You may not leave the area until the task is completed nor may you switch partners."

Yamato and I looked at each other. "What kind of task do you think it'll be?" I asked, now completely absorbed in the game and its enticing reward, forgetting about telling him I like him. I do have three days. I'll just do it tomorrow…

"I'm not sure, but knowing Ms. Greene…" he trailed off, and we both knew he didn't need to finish the sentence.

"Once you manage to pass the roadblock, the teachers will give you the final clue and another item to take with you. The first team that cracks it and makes it to the destination will be declared the winners." She paused. "The clues aren't that hard to crack, and if you really think about them, shouldn't be bad at all. But some of you might get lucky and find a pit stop/destination by stumbling upon it. I'm going to pass out the clues right now. You may not open them until everyone has them."

She walked around the room handing out envelopes. "There will be a teacher at each check point to make sure all groups and both partners stop there. On the count of three then," the teacher stated after each group had their envelope. "One…"

"Good luck, you're going to need it." Taichi snickered to us.

"Two."

Mimi nodded. "We're going to win."

"We'll see about that." I replied.

"THREE!"

All over the room people tore open the envelopes and began reading the clues. I ripped open the envelope and pulled the paper out. _"I'm willing to bet that one in the pair will refuse to let themself go inside there. Watch for little stick men and women in dresses; enter one of these places and then look for the clue, don't stop to admire your tresses."_

We both stared at each other. "Ms. Greene should never quit teaching to be a poet." The blond bluntly stated.

"I agree," I answered, "but I do know where we are headed."

Yamato raised and eyebrow before reading the clue over. "I got it too. Now we just have to figure out which one it is."

We both stood up and headed out the door. Our classmates were already barreling down the halls, and many teachers walked out into the hallway to see what all the commotion was. "You're telling me. We've got like six or eight to choose from."

"Let's head this way first…"

* * *

"YUCK! There's no way Ms. Greene would hide the clue in there. How can you guys stand those conditions?" I didn't even need to go into the room. The smell turned me away. Yamato plugged his nose and darted out of the room as fast as he went in. 

"It's not in there." He sighed, gasping for a breath of fresh air. "We live. And we learn to avoid the bad ones."

"Obviously." We wandered down the halls, still in search of the first clue. We'd tried two possibilities but both weren't it. "The rate we're going, everyone else is going to find the clue before us."

He wrapped his arm around me. "Sora, Sora, Sora, you aren't giving up all ready, are you?"

"Of course not! I just do not want to stand around here any longer. Let's keep going!" The two of us continued to walk down the halls until something spotted my eyes. "I found it!"

"How can you be sure?" he asked as I stopped in front of the wooden door.

"Out of order, I stopped in here before it was time for Child Development."

"Oh. I'd say you've got a good basis for proving me wrong."

I smirked and pulled on his shirt. "Let's go inside."

"Do…do I have to?"

I put my hands on my hips. "Were you not listening in class?"

"I was," he defended, "but do I have to?" Groaning, I pushed open the door and dragged the blond into the room. "At least there's no pink."

"You sound like Taichi!" I exclaimed as we spotted our PE teacher. "And it looks like we've found the clue."

"Sora, Yamato, good to see you to in here." She smiled at us.

Yamato rolled his eyes. "Yes, it's just GREAT to be in the girl's bathroom!" He exclaimed sarcastically.

"Ignore him," I told the teacher, "he tends to get a bit moody."

"Apparently. Here's your clue."

"Thanks, now can we get out of here?" Yama pleaded, blue eyes growing large.

I ignored him, making him suffer, the lone male in a girl's bathroom. "Isn't there some sort of an item we're supposed to receive?"

"Oh yes," our PE teacher nodded, "do you have one or two kids."

"Sad to say…"

I clamped a hand over the blonde's mouth. "Two,"

"Here you go then." She replied, handing me two pacifiers. "Good luck you two."

Yamato grumbled a response, and I winked at her. "I think he's PMSing for a guy."

"Sounds like it," the woman smiled, and we walked out of the bathroom.

"That was embarrassing." Yamato hung his head as I opened up the next clue.

"Oh get over it. It would've been much worse for you had the bathroom not been out of order."

He reluctantly shook his head. "Very true. And at least it didn't smell in there. I'll read the clue. _Good for you, it's time to go onto the next task and room. Get ready to look high and low, left and right with your bride or groom. The next clue lies somewhere plants, organisms, and bacteria all stay. The birds and the bees are there along with the skeleton and diagrams in black, white, and gray."_

"She's not that great of a poet." I stated again while we both cracked up over the forced rhyming in her poetry.

"I think she better not consider a career as a poet." Yamato answered.

"I agree." I smiled. "I know where the next clue points."

"Me too. Damn, I hated that class."

"I just hated the teacher…"

"How do you think everyone else is doing?" I asked as we headed up a flight of steps to our next destination.

"I saw a couple of the other groups looking at clues when we were in search of a bathroom," he paused and ran a hand through his golden locks. "I'd say there's a pretty strong chance we're not going to win."

We walked in silence and finally approached the biology room. "Yamato, Sora, good to see you two." Our physics teacher smiled. "Which one of you will be performing the "Roadblock" stop?"

Yamato and I looked at each other. We hadn't discussed that yet. "Rock, paper, scissors?" I asked.

"Sounds good," we both chanted the phrase and…"Damn it! I guess it's me. Best two outta three, Sor?"

"Nope, you're stuck with it, Ishida. Good luck."

The man laughed at Yamato and me and led us into the biology room. Three other groups of classmates were already in there, and the majority of them had their noses wrinkled at the things in front of them. I wonder what Yama is going to have to do. While two other teachers supervised the groups in action, our physics teacher guided us to one of the tables.

That's all the bio room usually held. There were twelve long, black tables set up all over the place. "This is your task." The man pointed to the table, and Yama let out a vehement reply. "There are five dolls with dirty diapers in front of you, Mr. Ishida and all the supplies needed to change them. Go right ahead."

"You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed, sounding a bit like Mimi.

"Come on you wimp!" I goaded. "If we stand any chance of winning, you're going to have to do this."

"Fine." He finally said after a long, heavy silence. "But you'd better make it up to me if we do win."

I winked at him. "Of course." If only you knew, Yamato…

Yamato sighed, took a deep breath, and headed up to the first doll. "The blond carefully removed the diaper, but suddenly jumped back in horror. "What is that?"

Our physics teacher cracked a smile. "No, it's not what you think. The diapers are full of melted chocolate and water dyed by yellow food coloring."

"Then where the hell is this smell coming from?" Yama demanded while he pulled out a baby wipe.

"Ms. Greene sprayed them all with a mixture of different colognes and perfumes."

I waved a hand back in forth in front of my face. "Well, that definitely explains the stench."

The blond slowly made his way from doll to doll. "Thankfully Ms. Greene explained all this to us."

"Otherwise?"

He grinned. "Otherwise I'd have absolutely no idea what I was doing."

Just as Yama was starting doll number five, Mimi and Tai burst into the room. By now, all but one of the groups, oddly being Koushiro and Gwen, were in the room. Two were done and off to the finish line. Yamato and I were either third or fourth, I'm not too sure.

"So which one of you is going to perform the task?" The home ec teacher addressed Tai and Mimi.

"Him!"

"Her!"

They looked at each other. "No way!"

"How 'bout we flip a coin? Since it's my coin…"

"Damn it," I turned to Yama, "he stole the coin back from me!"

"…I call tails!" Taichi flipped the coin before Mimi had a chance to react. "Ha! It's tails."

"That's so not fair!" Mimi cried indignantly. "He cheated! Tai's got a coin with tails on both sides."

The teacher shook her head. "That's not my problem. Make up your mind on who's going to take on the task and follow me please." She started to walk off.

Taichi pointed at Mimi. "You lost either way, Meems. Just get it over with."

The brunette's mouth dropped as Mimi hastily followed the home ec teacher. "Fine." The girl's face turned a little, well very, green at the instructions, but she didn't make any comment regarding it.

"Done!" Yamato called out, washing his hands off in the nearby faucet.

"Very good, Mr. Ishida." Our physics teacher checked each child, and from having us in class, handed Yama two baby bibs and gave me the last clue.

We darted out of the room but briefly paused upon passing Taichi and Mimi.

"I can't believe she's doing it," Yama's deep blue orbs were widened in shock."

"You're telling me." Taichi replied very dumbstruck. Mimi was working like a madwoman, not at all complaining about what she had to do.

I looked at the clue in my hand before tugging on the rock star's sleeve. "Let's go."

We exited the room, and I opened up the final clue. _"I'm waiting for you here somewhere you know well. Your children are awaiting you too. So the first group here wins as long as they're here before the ringing of the bell!"_

"At least that was better than her other failed poetry attempts." Yamato mused.

I laughed. "Yep, hopefully we don't have to read anymore poetry she's written ever again." We both knew where this clue led to; it was just a matter of getting here. "So how was your fun experience changing diapers?" I asked the blond.

He chucked a bit. "It could have been worse. I saw some of the others' dolls and man, they got it bad. Some of the dolls I got…I'm glad they weren't real!"

"You sounded more grossed out than Mimi," I replied.

"That's because I'm a guy and not used to the whole changing the diapers thing. I've never babysat babies, other than Megumi and Ryo. And when T.K. was little, yeah…don't get me started."

I laughed again, and we neared the door to the last room. Rounding the corner, we ran smack dab into two people. "Gwen? Koushiro? What are you guys doing here?"

"Which bathroom is it?" Koushiro cried. "We've been searching this whole period! And then we got yelled at by two teachers for running in the hall, the lunch ladies made us stop in and test the mystery meat, the…"

Gwen sighed. "To sum it up, we've been through hell and back."

"It's the girl's bathroom with the "Out of Order" sign on it." I provided.

"Thanks!" they both darted off through the halls while Yama and I went back to our own task.

"Here we are." Yama opened the door, and we walked in to see Ms. Greene standing in the child development room with three groups already in here.

"Glad you two made it; congratulations, you're group number four." She smiled at us. "The bell's about to ring, so you can go ahead and grab your stuff. Tonight's homework is to journal about this activity. And you need to come pick up your children after school today. I'm going to go put a message on the announcements about people being late. Tell your classmates to look at the board for their assignment."

"Okay," we chorused, sitting down in our seats and gathering our things.

"You're watching the kids tonight, right?"

I nodded. "Yep, I'll drop Megumi off at your place later this evening."

"Sounds good." He replied as another group entered the room. The bell rang, and Yamato and I left the room. "So, what were you going to tell me earlier?"

"Oh, that…well…I…I forgot." I lied. "I'll tell you later, okay."

"Sure." He gave me a questioning look as we headed into the empty physics room.

Okay, so I had the opportunity, but…the moment just wasn't right. That sounds like a good excuse. I'll just ask him tomorrow. Tomorrow'll give me more time to think about what I'm going to say. Too bad we didn't win the competition and be able to not have the kids this weekend. If we do go out together, I guess we'll have to bring the kids. Oh well, I'll figure it all out…tomorrow…

A/N: Please review! I apologize for the bad poetry; I'm not a poet. And I haven't watched very much _Amazing Race._ I'm never home on Tuesday's, and my VCR's set to tape _One Tree Hill._ But…yikes! It's snowing harder out; and we're supposed to get 5 inches :;bites lip;: uh oh, I'm supposed to be out of town the next two days—hope I don't get snowed in…please review!


	11. Day 2, Job Shadowing

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Yes, I finally updated. I've been really busy—outta town basically everyday this week for the state basketball tournament (even though my team lost in the first round). But hope you guys all like the chapter and please review.

**_Inconnu:_**_ Poetry and I don't agree._

**_.I.Am.Lirin: _**_Well, at that point Takeru and Hikari didn't know how each other felt. _

**_Indigowolf:_**_ Brothers are weird like that; thankfully mine is older, married, and out of the house!_

**_(Evil) Jodi Crystal:_**_ That competition was over at the end of last chapter. Sadly Sora and Yamato didn't win. And as to your suggestion, everyone may soon be calling me the(evil)ladyknight…you'll see why eventually…_

**_Syl Sylver:_**_ It will be a bit more…_

**_Thegreatwhitewolf:_**_ Glad I could make you laugh!_

**_Money makes me smile: _**_Basically author alert is a means of e-mailing you when a certain author updates a story or posts a new story. For example, if I was on your author alert list, you'd be e-mailed every time I update and/or post a new story. It's a way of letting you know when your favorite stories are updated or your favorite authors update…_

**_Scoripon05:_**_ It'll either be Sora or Mimi and Hikari…_

**_Cherryblossom Sky:_**_ My school's child development class is NOTHING like this, with the exception of getting dolls. We don't offer sex ed; we have health but nothing along the other lines. _

**_BrnttsDoItBest:_**_ I try to foreshadow…but it doesn't always work…_

And thanks to **Soratofanforever, anonymous, AshileSwartz, reviewer #9, shadowcat, My Name is R.C., Sakura Arielle, cac, Crazyamzy, DraugDae, Only Secret, animemistress419, Kay, SoratoFan, Mimi, feelingblue, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, **and **princessstphanie**.

Chapter 11: Day 2—Job Shadowing

"Hey, Sor…"

"Hey Yama," I answered, walking over beneath the large tree the blond was resting against. It was the same tree in the picture I was making for art, and Yama appeared to be perched in the same position. "What are you doing here?"

He grinned and pulled me down beside him. "Waiting for you."

My cheeks began to heat up. "Why?"

Yamato chuckled. "Aren't you inquisitive?"

I had to smile. "Don't you have band practice right now?"

"Again with the questions?" I rolled my eyes. "The guys and I decided to take a day off."

"I thought you had a concert coming up soon."

Yamato gave me his heart melting smile. "We all realized we'd been missing out on things by spending so much time with the band." He paused and shut his eyes, placing his arms behind his head. "I'm glad I found you, though. I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

I could tell the blond was searching for the right words. He was quiet, seemingly ignoring me but at the same time, I could tell he was thinking about something regarding me.

"Any day now, Yamato."

A ghost of a smile lingered on his lips for a brief second before vanishing. The silence still remained. I leaned my arm up against the tree, now facing him, and sighed. A light breeze danced across my skin, blowing the blonde's bangs across his face as well.

"Yama?"

He opened his eyes, pausing to brush the stray hairs away from his beautiful azure eyes. His orbs then met mine. "Action do speak louder than words, right?"

Before I could reply, I found his lips on mine. It was a light, feathery kiss, but as I didn't pull away, he applied more pressure. Slowly Yamato kissed me harder, and I couldn't help but kiss him back. What's going on? My arms wrapped around his neck, and I melted against him. His strong upper body caught me, and he gently broke the kiss.

"I love you, Sora. And I'm a fool for not telling you earlier."

My heart melted. I grinned back at him and pulled him into a hug. "I love you too, Yamato."

Our lips met once again. His were soft and sweet. I detected a trace of mint on them, probably from the candy he hides in his book bag that he pulls out to eat during classes everyday. Suddenly the texture and taste of his lips changed. Their sweetness vanished, only to be replaced by flavorlessness. His lips grew very soft, almost like they were a…pillow.

"Sora! Sora, honey, wake up! You're going to be late if you don't get moving!"

My eyes fluttered open, and I looked down to see my fluffy pillow replacing the silhouette of Yamato's face. I rolled over onto my back and found myself buried under a pile of warm sheets rather than sitting under a tree, kissing my best friend who I've come to love. "I've been calling your name for the past ten minutes!"

"I was having a good dream." I moaned, burying my head in the pillow. "Let me sleep!"

"But today you go on your job shadow, and it's your big tennis match. I'm guessing you don't want to miss either of those."

That brought me off cloud nine, back to plain reality. "I'm up; I'm up!"

Dragging my weary body out of bed, I sleepily walked over to my bathroom doors. I turned the water on, waiting for it to warm up, hoping the shower would wake me up.

Today was going to be really busy. From the job shadowing to the tennis meet to dropping the kids off at Yamato's…Yamato.

What exactly was that dream about?

It was one of those dreams that stayed with you; one that took quite a long time to forget. Yamato seemed so sincere in it, telling me he loved me. Too bad it can't be that way in real life. I laughed to myself, a bit more awake now that the water was at a nice hot temperature.

Most people would never assume I'd have those clichéd fairy tale-like dreams about boy and girl falling in love. You know the sappy sort, as in the dream I just had, where it's all good, easy, and perfect. That's always been one of my hidden secrets. Secretly, deep down, I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. Though I will never admit this to anyone, I love the cheesy romantic movies where the guy gets the girl or vice versa. Sometimes I actually wish that would happen in real life.

But then, the more I think about it, I guess I want things the opposite of that. Erase the golden similes and metaphors. Get rid of the sappy "I love you's" and overly clichéd phrases. Give me a relationship that's going to take work and dedication over one of those overly corny ones I was lecturing Mimi and Hikari about any day. If Yamato asks me out or if I ask him—well, _when_ I ask him—hopefully that will be avoided at all costs. Fairy-tales and unbelievable realties are great as daydreams and wishes but not something I want for my life…

"Sora! Are you trying to drown yourself in there?" Dad yelled. "Hurry it up!"

Sometimes I think I was adopted.

I shut the water off, ending my shower and soliloquy of a passionate heart, spilling the depths of my inner soul. Where did that come from? I could be a poet or writer instead of a fashion designer. Ha! No wonder I think I'm a hopeless romantic. But now, reality once again calls back…shit, I've got thirty minutes to get to school. I'll make my plan for asking Yamato out when I get to school…

* * *

"Sora, that's two days in a row you've gotten here by the tardy bell!" Mimi exclaimed when I dashed into the room. 

I lightly laughed while our teacher told us to continue our projects. "I overslept today. It wasn't Megumi's fault."

She rolled her eyes. "Ready to get started on that picture of Lover Boy and the others?" The girl smirked at the glare I gave her. "Two days left, Sora. You'd better tell him soon, or Kari and I will have no problem letting him know."

"You wouldn't." I mumbled out of the corner of my mouth. "Be careful what you say Meems, I can easily change your appearance in this drawing and make you look odd…"

"You wouldn't dare…" I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe you would."

I smirked. "Will you just let me work in silence?"

"Okay, okay! Since you obviously don't want to talk to me, I'll continue working on my own project."

Picking up the charcoal pencil, my mind drifted back to the matter I was thinking about earlier. How exactly do I approach Yamato with what I have to say? I mean, it's not like it's an everyday lunch topic or something we gossip about in Child Development before. I've never really done this, asking a guy out, particularly a guy that's a close friend. Taichi asked me out back when we were younger and a couple of other guys have approached me, but it's normally the guy that asks.

I wonder how I can ask him without it being weird. What if he says he's not interested? What if he laughs at me? That would be so embarrassing! But Yama wouldn't do that; he's not like that. Everyone says he likes me, and I'm starting to believe it as well by the way he acts around me and some of the things that have happened between us. I just don't want to make a fool out of myself. No matter what happens, I want us to be friends and have no awkward feelings should we end up dating, breaking up, or not even getting into a relationship.

I guess I could talk to Mimi and get some advice. After all, she did ask Koushiro out. The boy genius may have loosened up as we grew up, but he didn't have near enough confidence to approach Mimi. Luckily for them, she did.

If nothing else, I can always fall back on spontaneity. It's saved my sorry ass plenty of times before. This will be no different. I'm starting to get nervous. The time is ticking away. I really don't want Hikari and Mimi to tell him so I'd better think of something. Soon.

"Hey Sor, get out of dreamland! The bell's gonna ring!" Mimi snapped me back to the classroom.

I could feel the charcoal pencil still in my hand, and canvas paper underneath it. Uh oh, I bet I was doodling on my work the whole time I was thinking about Yamato. This is not going to be good!

"Oh my God!" I knew it. I don't want to see this. "Sora, did you draw this today? You had to! It wasn't there at the beginning of class!"

My eyes flashed to the image Mimi was pointing to. Good Lord, _did_ I draw that? It was…me. I was now in the picture and if you removed everyone except Yamato and me, it looked exactly like the part in my dream; well, the part right before he kissed me. The drawing appeared so lifelike and natural, like I was supposed to be there, sitting next to him. Mimi's gonna be wondering how I came up with that idea as to where I would be located in it. I wonder how I thought of it. My subconscious mind must have been focusing on it while I sat here lost amid my thoughts.

Damn subconscious mind.

* * *

"Wow," 

I heard a light chuckle from behind me. "I'm glad you approve on my choice of décor. You're Sora, right?"

A petite girl—she couldn't be much older than twenty-five—approached me, pearly whites offering a humble grin. She had long black hair with red highlights scattered around it. The woman was wearing a pair of khaki capris, tied together at the bottoms by lime green strings. She had a lime green sleeveless shirt on with intricate patterns woven into it.

"Yeah, are you Ayami Tanaka?"

She smiled. "It's nice to meet you Sora. Your teacher sent me a note asking if you could follow me around on the job and with it she sent a little bio about you. I'm looking forward to this."

"Why do you say that?" I questioned. "There's nothing to special about me."

Ayami grinned once more. "From reading your information, you remind me so much of me when I was your age around six years ago." My mouth dropped. This is new.

The woman looked around. "Where are my manners? Let's go up to my office area…"

The elevator dinged, and we walked out, approaching the top penthouse suite of the huge apartment building I'd been dropped off at. Ms. Greene took the liberty of picking up three vans, and she and the two other teachers drove my classmates and me around to our different locations. Ayami's office was located in the downtown area. It was an apartment complex where many area businesses resided.

She opened up the door, and I gasped yet again. "Did you decorate this too?"

"Yes, I decorated my office area and the front lobby. I figured that as a fashion designer, I had to have some sort of idea about color schemes."

The main area of her office was gorgeous. The walls were a startling shade of midnight blue, and silver paint—most likely feather painted on—overlapped it. There were various works of abstract art hanging from different locations of the room.

"Here's my desk space. Please excuse the clutter; I'm not the most organized person. But if I know where everything is, it doesn't have to be in some area that's color-coded and alphabetized.

Too bad my mother couldn't hear that.

"And over here is a file with my work in it. This is the only place I actually use an orgazational system," she joked. "My more recent work is in the front while my older sketches are in the back. Pull some out to look at and take a seat on the couch. Would you like something to drink?"

"Anything would be fine," I politely responded.

Ayami smiled. "Great! I'll be back a just a few seconds. Make yourself at home, Sora."

I settled down on the plush blue leather couch that matched the interior of the room. Slowly I opened up the portfolio she had told me to look at. There were all sorts of drawings. Male models, female models, shirts, pants…you name it, she had drawn it. "These are really good. I can tell why you're a well-known designer." I replied as she returned with a glass of lemonade.

"I didn't start out that way, believe me. Well, Ms. Greene never really gave me instructions about what to do. Why don't you just tell me a little bit about yourself, and I'll do the same."

"I'm in my last year at the high school, currently undecided as to what I want to pursue in college. I play on the tennis team, work for my mother at her flower shop, and like to hang out with my friends. My father is a researcher, and I've already mentioned what my mother does."

"How did you select who you would shadow on a job?" she asked curiously, taking a sip of her drink.

I launched into an explanation of the game, feeling more and more comfortable around her as the time passed. She laughed at the funny moments, sighed at the downfalls, and offered a listening ear the whole time. "Sounds like you have had quite the adventure. Did you ever think about a career in this field?"

I blushed. "I've never really been one for fashion and those kinds of things, to tell you the truth. I've always loved art and drawing, and I guess the more I think about it, I've always loved creating it. Quite honestly, I am leaning towards a career somewhere in the field of art."

Ayami beamed at me. "I was exactly like that at your age. Art was like second nature to me. It never took much for me to do; naturally, I like everyone else assumed I would go into a field related to it. As time passed in college, and as it came time for me to proclaim a major, I leaned toward fashion design. I, like you, was never very much into fashion and shopping when I was younger. It grew on me the older I got. Somehow, I never really liked a lot of the clothes and outfits I saw in stores. They were just ugly, didn't work well for everyone, or too uncomfortable. I set out to make things to my own standards for all men, women, and children to wear and feel comfortable in."

We continued to talk for the next few hours. The time just flew by. Ayami was like a great role model for me. It was hard growing up the only child with no close relatives my age. Everyone is always searching for that one person to admire, that person who is someone you actually know that can be a mentor and older sibling figure. I think I just found her.

"This is excellent, Sora! I can't see how you won't make it in art. I wish you luck in any field you pursue, and if by chance you do go into fashion design, I'd better watch out. You'll be offering me some heavy competition." I blushed again as Ayami admired the drawing of my friends. She had told Ms. Greene she'd like to see any artwork I had recently done, as she had not known the careers we received were randomly chosen instead of intended choices.

"The details are very in-depth and lifelike. Who are all these people?"

"Well, that's my friend Mimi. She's a girly-girl whose best friend is the nearest mall. She can be a bit spoiled at times, but deep down she's sweet and sincere. The guy with the soccer ball is one of my best two best friends. His name is Taichi, and he was probably the first person I ever met that was my age. He and I have been friends since we were really young."

"And the boy leaning up against the tree?"

I bit my lip. "That's Yamato. He's my other best friend."

A knowing smile came to her face. "It appears from this picture there's something more there."

A blush crept onto my cheeks. Could everyone see it? "I'm really not too sure." I felt like I could pour out these secrets to Ayami. She had been telling me stories of her childhood: some odd teachers, her secret crushes, and how she had become such as success at a young age. "Everyone says we'd make the perfect couple, everywhere we go people bug us about it."

"But what do you want, Sora? It shouldn't matter what anyone else wants; only what is best for you. Follow your heart and I'm sure you'll make the best decision for both you and Yamato."

"That's the thing," I told her about the bet Hikari and Mimi had made with me, "I don't know what to do."

She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Your heart will lead you the right way. Just trust it and you'll be fine."

There was a honk from outside. "It looks like my ride's here."

"I can't believe it's time for you to go already! It seems like I've known you for such a long time!"

I smiled at her. "I know the feeling."

"Here," she scribbled something down on paper. "Here's my phone number and e-mail. If you need anything or just want to talk, please let me know. I'm going to be very disappointed if I don't hear from you!"

I laughed. "I'll give you mine too."

She gave me a hug after I gave her my telephone number and e-mail address. "You're such a remarkable girl, Sora. Don't change and remember to follow your heart. That's the best advice I can give you. It was awesome to meet you, and I hope we can be friends."

"I hope so too, Ayami. Thank you for letting me come here today and for listening to all my problems."

The van honked again. "Don't worry about it. Good luck with everything, especially the thing with Yamato. I'm pulling for you…"

* * *

"And now, Sora Takenouchi of Odaiba is one game away from being the regional champion." 

I anxiously awaited my opponent's serve. Here I was four points away from a title. All I needed to do now was keep my concentration.

The girl I was facing was good, one of the best I'd ever played. But I knew I could take her.

"Takenouchi volleys it back! Love-15!"

Three points.

We went back and forth on the next serve. I nearly missed one of her hits, but somehow I managed to keep my footing while diving for it. I smashed the ball over the net and then…"Love-30!"

The Odaiba crowd erupted. I could hear cheers of my name emitting through the people. There was Tai's voice, and who could forget about Mimi.

"Let her have it, Sor!"

Yamato? What's he doing here? And where are the kids? I left them with him after school and…

"ACE! Boy, Takenouchi completely missed that one!"

"Sora, focus! You've got a match to win!"

Coach is getting angry. I can't believe I just blew that. I've got to pay attention! I can't think about Yama right now.

I roared back with a vengeance. "15-40! It's game point for Takenouchi!"

My opponent was nervous. She shakily threw the ball into the air and hit it over. We started a long series of hits. I have to catch her off guard!

My chance finally came. I faked a deep hit, instead bouncing it just over the net. She's quick and she's running…she's…

"And that's it folks! Ono can NOT get to the ball on time! Sora Takenouchi of Odaiba High is our regional champion. Let's give both ladies a big hand for their outstanding year!"

I shook hands with my opponent, lost in my own daze. I won. I actually won. The announcer presented me with a large trophy, and soon the people were flocking me.

Around half an hour later, bidding my parents—with the trophy in tow—Taichi, Mimi, Koushiro, and the others goodbye, I turned to find Yama patiently awaiting me.

I opened my mouth to speak but Coach interrupted. "Spectacular, Takenouchi! I knew you had it in you! I was a bit worried for a moment but…I'm so proud of you! Mr. Ishida, make sure she gets home fine. I'm off to celebrate!"

Celebrate, get drunk…same thing.

"Of course, ma'am,"

Yamato watched me gather my stuff as Coach walked off. We were now the only two people left on and around the court. "What happened back there? You completely missed that one serve. It was very unSora-like."

"I saw you," I admitted. This is my chance.

"Me, how did I distract you?"

I walked over to where he was standing. "I just couldn't believe you were here. I thought you had band practice. And where are Megumi and Ryo?"

He smiled, wrapping an arm around me as we walked across the street in the direction of our apartments. "I decided to skip. I wanted to be here for this."

"That's sweet of you,"

Yamato chuckled. "It was the least I could do for my wife."

I rolled my eyes. "So where are our kids?"

"Well, Dad wasn't feeling well so he stayed home from work today. I left them with him. Figured they'd keep him occupied."

Bet Hiroaki Ishida was thrilled about that.

"So how did your day go?"

"That guy could talk anyone's ear off. If there was an award for the person who could explain the simplest thing in the most words, Ichiro Oshiro would get it."

I laughed. "But was it bad?"

"The guy was kind of old and boring, but he definitely knew what he was talking about. It was really pretty interesting. What about you?"

I explained my day, briefly describing Ayami and the job but leaving out the part regarding him. "Ayami was awesome. I had fun."

"Yeah, mine really wasn't too bad either."

There was a pause. Suddenly: "Does this ever make you think about the future?" Where did that come from?

His cerulean eyes searched mine. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…we graduate this year. Then we'll go into the university, get jobs, find someone to settle down with, and have a family. Do you ever think about any of that?"

"I have more and more since this game started."

I paused again. "Do you ever wonder if the person you were meant for was in front of you all along yet you never noticed or took a chance?"

Yamato stopped. "Aren't you inquisitive?"

He said that exact same thing in my dream. I looked up at him expectantly. "Actually, yeah, I have thought about that before. Recently in fact,"

We reached his apartment. "Why?"

"I'm starting to think there's someone right in front of me that…"

"YAMATO ISHIDA, get your butt in here and take these kids! They're driving me insane! Neither you nor Takeru acted this way when you were their age!"

"Does he know they're not real?" I mumbled to the blond.

His father dashed out of their apartment, Ryo in one arm, Megumi in the other. He had both of them in their carriers, diaper bags draped over his shoulders. "Please, never ask me to do this again!"

He ran back inside, and Yamato and I burst out laughing. "I take it he didn't quite get along with the two."

"I guess they caused some trouble." I took Ryo from the blond. "I'll take him tonight."

Yamato handed me the diaper bag as well. "Thanks, I'd better go inside and see why our children were so bad. See ya tomorrow."

"Bye," I whispered as he walked into the apartment. Yamato, you weren't talking about Mimi. And I know you weren't talking about Hikari. You don't know Gwen very well…I'm going to take a wild guess at who it is you were talking about.

Me.

If only you would have finished what you were saying. It would have made things so much easier. I began walking to my apartment but suddenly stopped. It was there the realization sunk in.

I have one day left to tell him…

A/N: One day left…ha! Wonder what could happen…Please review! Next chapter features one last game (Hint: It's a TV show and a board game) and it's going to be hilarious! I've got "To the Highest Bidder" nearly finished; it just has to be typed and hopefully I can have it up by Sunday or Monday. Please review; I love to hear what you guys think!


	12. Day 3, Family Feud

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digmon—not mine!

A/N: Here's chapter 12! Hope you guys all enjoy it and remember to review…

_**I Lurv Digimon:** Hey! Glad to hear from you again! You were mentioning some of your reviews got cut off. If you did save them and want me to read them, e-mail me at theladyknight06(at)hotmail(dot)com...the link won't show up if I write in any other way. I love hearing what you have to say!_

**_Yuki-chan:_**_ Thanks for the nice words!_

**_Yamatoishida27:_**_ Thanks for all the reviews…_

**_.I.Am.Lirin.:_**_ I found a website with Japanese names and randomly threw two together!_

**_Scorpion05:_**_ Yeah, I know how that goes too. I'm a junior, but I'm getting swamped by all this mail from different colleges._

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_**_ Sometime in one of the later chapters, most likely the last chapter…_

**_r1za-cam1le:_**_ She was talking to herself but at the same time just kind of wondering out loud about why he didn't finish his statement. You know, kind of like when you just say, "Oh my God…" or something along those lines?_

**_RW Grimm:_**_ Whose Line is it Anyway would've been really funny to have them do, but I chose a bit of a different one. Hopefully it didn't turn out too ugly…_

And thanks to:** _Mrs. Ishida-to-you, Indigowolf, Atomic Toaster, DraugDae, shadowcat, sorato-takari, Inconnu, princessstphanie, Kuroi Black Nightingale, Cherryblossom Sky, blondie121147, Darkladyxion959, Sakura Arielle, sora's-evil-twin, money makes me smile, thegreatwhitewolf, Ballet Kitty, Only Secret, sapphire dragons,_**and **_KoumiLoccness. _**

Chapter 12: Day Three, Family Feud

My charcoal pencil glided across the paper. The sky was now very detailed, fluffy clouds filling up space from one edge of the soft canvas to the other. I turned in my chair to crack my back. A sigh escaped my lips. I'd been working at this nonstop since the period started, much closer to finishing then I thought I could be.

I rolled back the sleeves of my uniform top. Pausing, my hands searched for another charcoal pencil, as the one I was using started to grow dull on the end. My last day of classes is in exactly one week. There's still so much more for me to do with this portrait but hardly anytime to finish.

A dark shadow suddenly invaded my light source. "Sor, you officially have fifteen hours and fifteen minutes to ask Yamato out."

Mimi stood before me, arms folded, eyes burning in eager anticipation. "How do you know I haven't already asked him?"

She smirked. "I accidentally bumped into him in the hall. When I asked if you'd talked to him about something important, he shook his head, just a little bit confused."

"My ass you accidentally ran into him."

Mimi let out a laugh. "Minor details don't really matter, do they? The bottom line is that you didn't ask him yet. If you don't do it in the remaining time, Kari and I will have a blast telling Yamato for you."

"Don't worry," I glared up at her, "I'll tell him."

She sat down next to me, pulling out her canvas to make it look like she was busy. Apparently she'd been sitting across the room from me, waiting for the opportune moment near the end of class for her confrontation. "You know what happens if you don't."

I was silent for a minute. I really have got to do this. There's no turning back. Yama's going to find out one way or another. I'd much rather have him hear it form me than the other two.

But at the same time, old fears shoot back into my mind. What if he doesn't like me? What if we were sending each other mixed signals? What if… "Mimi, is it really okay to breech that line between friendship and love?"

"Well, silly, you and Tai tried to. I'd definitely classify that as crossing the lines of friendship."

I sighed. "But that's different."

"How is it different?" She calmly asked.

"Taichi and I are too close to each other in a brother-sisterly way. It was too weird, too awkward, too unwelcome even. I thought there just might be some sort of attraction there—I've always said Tai's a cutie—but it just didn't flow."

"But with Yamato…"

"But Yama," I tried to rationalize, tried to deny it. "It's different between the two of us. Our relationship has always been a bit ambiguous. I've never doubted there was chemistry between the two of us, but neither of us has ever acted on it."

Mimi put her hands on her hips. "Now's the time to act, Sora! If no one ever went after what they wanted, wouldn't our world be a boring place? Call me a monkey's uncle if he doesn't return the feelings." She wouldn't say something like that unless she was truly positive about the topic of discussion.

Slowly, I began cleaning up my mess as the bell rang. "Thanks for the pep talk, Meems. When did you get to be so damn smart?"

The girl couldn't stop a knowing smile from finding her lips. "Since I started dating Koushiro…"

* * *

"Why are our desks arranged like this?" Taichi asked when my classmates and I walked into the Child Development room. 

"I'm glad you asked," Ms. Greene's smiling face entered our line of vision. "The desks will stay like this for today and tomorrow's classes in honor of the game we'll be playing. The final game we'll be playing."

"Awe," no one was happy about that, "what game are we playing?" Someone asked.

She continued to smile. "It's a popular one. This game is a TV show and board game."

People aimlessly began throwing around suggestions. However, Ms. Greene silenced us after a minute of guessing.

"The game we're going to be playing…_Family Feud!_" (Not mine!)

"_Family Feud?_" Koushiro's voice echoed. "Now that's a prodigious idea! I can think of so many…" He started rambling off, causing Ms. Greene to chuckle lightly.

"I'm glad you agree with me. We're going to get right down to business, as we're going to try and complete the game in two days. I'm going to outline the next week and a half for you, though, before I launch into an explanation about the game. If you've been paying attention to what I've been saying, you'll obviously know what we are going to be doing today and tomorrow. Friday is going to be spent reviewing the different things we've accomplished over the course of the semester, setting us up for the final thing we are going to do this year. Monday and Tuesday we will be working on our last "project" and Wednesday, the senior's last day," her announcement was cut off amidst a stream of cheers, "we'll be presenting these projects. And questions before I continue?"

Yama raised his hand. "What kind of projects?"

"They're not really projects, per say," Ms. Greene explained, "but they aren't just busy work and stuff like that. It's kind of a surprise you all will have to wait and see."

Seeing that no one else had any objections or concerns, our teacher began describing today's game. "As there are twenty four of you in this class—all of you being here too—I've divided you up into four teams of six. Two teams will face each other today, and two more will go tomorrow. I'll start with a description of the teams. As the teams on the actual show are related—hence the name—I tried to pair you and your spouse up with two other pairs that share some sort of common trait with the two of you."

She began reading off the list. Group number one had half artistic people and half jocks. Group two consisted of students who had black hair. "What group will we be in?" Yamato's warm breath tickled my ear, and I let out a sigh. "What?"

I shook my head, choosing not to answer his second question. Ms. Greene read off group three, Koushiro and Gwen being placed in it—a group of half seniors and the other half juniors. That left…"Woah," I couldn't stop myself.

Our teacher beamed at me. "This group was the easiest to put together because, for the most part, it's made up of family ties. Yamato and Takeru are related. Taichi and Hikari are related. And as the spouses of the two older boys, Sora and Mimi fit right in."

Our team did make sense. No one around the room had any objections to our group getting paired together, and I wasn't complaining. "Gather with your teams in one of the groups of six desks. You'll need to brainstorm ideas for a team name. As time is of the essence, report back to me in five minutes with your team name. I'll explain the rest of the rules then."

We all separated into the four corners of the room where the different clumps of desks were situated, our group traveling to the far corner. I noticed Hikari lagging a bit behind, head lowered down, seemingly a bit depressed. "What's the matter?"

"We're stuck with Tai. There's no way we can win."

"Yeah, that's always a reason to feel depressed, but I have a feeling that's not what's causing you to feel down and bummed out."

"Truthfully?" She sighed.

"Truthfully," I answered, "I won't tell anyone."

Hikari paused. "It's Takeru. He and I are having some problems. I think it's this whole marriage and kids thing. Our jump from friendship to something more seems to have centered on this class, and I think the problem generated from there. It's like, because of this class, we're basing everything on always being around each other and being a "family." Sora, I really like Takeru; I always have. It's just…I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship like this at my age."

I gave her a sympathetic smile, understanding where she was coming from. "Talk it out with him. Maybe the two of you should take a bit of a break till you get a little bit older or at least until the stress of this game is gone. It's hard to make that transition from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend. Just sit down with him and talk it out, figure out what you're going to do. You don't want to end up hating each other in the end. I'm sure you'll find an answer though, Kari. I can tell you and Takeru both care about each other a lot. The answer will come."

Her head slowly lifted and face gave a glimmer of a grin. "Thanks, Sora. Maybe you should listen to your own advice." The girl checked her watch. "You only have thirteen hours left."

We had now reached the others. Plopping down in the lone free chair, fate demanding I sit next to the source of my own internal conflict, I lowered my head to the table. This is all so confusing now. I've already convinced myself I have to go through with it. But just talking Hikari through that resurfaces my own anxieties.

Can the jump from friendship to love be that hard? What if our relationship is too stressful? What if it turns out to be like Taichi's and mine—strictly platonic? What if we end up hating each other, ruining our friendship? What if…

"Sor, Taichi came up with a name."

I raised my head off the desk, eyes catching his powerful gaze. "Do I really want to hear it?" I weakly asked, listening to the others all shake their heads and begin to debate this name.

"You okay?" His voice was full of concern and affection. "You seem a little jumpy."

"I'm…I'm fine, Yama. Don't worry about me."

"You sure?"

I nodded. "I'll be alright. So what name did Taichi suggest?"

He rolled his azure eyes. "Taichi's Team because there's 'alliteration'."

"Wow, I didn't know Tai had that big of a vocabulary."

"You learn something new everyday."

Our brunette friend banged his hand on the table. "Takaishidami!" He triumphantly declared. "It's perfect. The name contains my last name, Takeru's, and Yamato's, signifying the three groups on our winning team."

Mimi put her hands over her face. "Well, does anyone else have an idea?"

…Silence…

"So, what did your team decide to call yourselves?" Ms. Greene asked, walking over to our group after gathering the other groups' names.

"We are Takaishidami!" Guess who said that. "And I'm team leader."

That topic was questionable, but in my current state of mind, I didn't feel like questioning Taichi's authority. "Okay, everyone. It's time to get this game underway. I'll explain the rules. I surveyed one hundred kids, randomly chosen across the school, on a couple different topics. They gave answers to each question, and I marked down the answers on a chart. Basically I was searching for duplicate answers, and from the answers I got, put together the game board. But I used only duplicate answers, not including some of the lesser chosen answers."

"I'm really confused." Mimi answered. "Could you give an example?"

"Of course. Let's pretend one of the questions was name your favorite color. The students all gave me an answer, and I recorded the frequency of each response. For example, let's say red appeared fifty of the times. I would mark that down as the number one answer because it was the most popular. And the point value of that answer would be the same as the number of people who chose it, fifty. Then, let's say thirty people chose blue. That would be the number two answer. That continues on until I get to the final answers that were duplicated. Let's say green got six votes. That would be one of the bottom answers. And we'll pretend the other remaining choices all got one vote each. None of them would be included on the game board. Though I asked one hundred people, in the end, you are virtually only getting points from around eighty to ninety."

Gwen raised a hand. "I'm still a bit confused. I can't say I've ever played the game or seen the show. Could you explain the rules too?"

Ms. Greene nodded. "Can I have two volunteers?"

Taichi's hand shot up along with Gwen's. "I may as well try it out to understand it," She replied, taking a stand.

"Okay, you'll gather here in the middle." She had set up a table in between the groups of desks. On each side there was a buzzer. "I surveyed one hundred kids…name the most popular favorite color…" She paused. "On that note, the two people, one representative from each team, would attempt to think of an answer. When you have one, you will hit the buzzer. The first person to do so will give me the answer. If it is the number one answer, your team will be able to choose if you want to figure out all the answers, or pass it to the other team to play. If, though, you don't give the number one answer or one that's on the game board, the other player has a chance to go for it."

Her eyes looked around the room to make sure everyone was following. "The team that ends up playing then goes down the line with each person telling me an answer. If you get an answer that's on the board, good for you! If not, your team gets a strike against you. Three strikes and the other team gets a chance to steal the points by getting one right. If they can't get one, the first team captures the points. You either get the points from the board by stealing them or by getting all the answers. You all will come to understand this as we go, okay."

We nodded. Some were still confused, while others, including myself, had a pretty good idea of what we had to do: get our question right. (A/N: I apologize if you guys don't understand what's going on…it was hard to explain. You'll probably be able to pick it up as the game goes on…)

"You all are working on teams, but when it's your turn to answer a question, there will be no help from anyone else. I think we're ready to get started. We need two groups to volunteer to go first." No one raised their hands or made any motion to respond. "All right then. Taichi, how about your group against Gwen's? If no one else will volunteer, I'll just choose."

She pulled out a dry erase board in which she had labeled the numbers 1-6. Tai and Gwen were the first two up, each standing on a side opposite the other, hand positioned over the buzzer. "I interviewed one hundred students…give me the name of your favorite sport."

BUZZ!

Gwen was first. She gave a triumphant grin. "Soccer."

"Survey says…forty-two points! It's the number one answer. Gwen, would your team _The Chunky Penguins_ like to play or pass this round?"

"We'll play," she answered, after checking with her teammates for their reactions. While Gwen sat down, congratulated by her teammates, Taichi threw his body into the seat next to me.

"I can't believe she beat me in naming my own favorite sport. Jeez, I have a feeling this is not going to be our game…"

Unfortunately, Taichi didn't know how right he was. Our team could only watch as the group Koushiro and Gwen were in ran the table. They just couldn't miss at all. Their group won game one out of the three total games with ninety-two points.

Game two didn't fare much better. Takeru did win the face off question thing, "Name your favorite holiday," but we couldn't really get anything positive going. Yamato and I each provided answers that ended up on the board, but Mimi blew it by choosing "Ground Hog Day." The other team got a chance to steal, and, go figure, won.

It was clutch time, the final game. Quite honestly, I wasn't going to be too angry if we lost. I just didn't want us to be embarrassed the way we had been. "Sora, go answer the question." Hikari pleaded. "If we don't want to be laughed at, we need to win the first question."

I gulped, giving her a nod. No pressure or anything. Oh, great…I have to go up against Koushiro the super genius. This won't be good.

Ms. Greene smiled at us. "Okay you two, it's the final round. In this round, point values are tripled. Basically, the winning team is the team that captures this round. Right now, _The Chunky Penguins _are ahead of _Takaishidami_ by a score of 178 to none. Along with more points, though, comes higher stakes. You can only get two strikes against you this round. Tread carefully. There are only five answers up this time. Here's the question."

I placed my hand over the buzzer, listening carefully. "I surveyed one hundred students…tell me, if you had the day off today, what would you be doing?"

BUZZ!

"Sora?"

Crap. I was so concerned about buzzing in that I really didn't have an answer. My hand had aimlessly found the button, hitting it, worrying about being the first one to ring in. "Um…" What would I be doing? "…sleep?"

Ms. Greene paused dramatically. "Congratulations, that's the number one answer. With the triple score that answer is worth 108 points." She paused again as people around the room muttered their surprise. "Would you like to play or pass?"

I looked at Hikari. "Play," she mouthed.

"We'll play."

"Okay, then. Yamato, do you have an answer."

His head was rested against his right arm, facing my direction. He gave me a large smile. "Hang out with friends."

"Survey says…that's the number two answer worth sixty points." Yama and I exchanged high-fives. Come on Takeru…

"Study?" He questioned.

Study?

Ms. Greene hit the bell in her hand that signified when a wrong answer was given. "I'm sorry. Studying is not on the list. You have one strike left."

Takeru winced at his answer, but we all tried to stay positive. It was Hikari's turn. "How about watching TV or using the computer?"

"At fifty four points, that's the number three answer."

Two more left. We might just get this…except…except it's Mimi's turn. Come on, Mimi.

"Well, I'd go shopping." She answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Now that I think about it, it really is.

"Yes. Shopping is the number four answer." Mimi gave a victory shout and motioned for Tai to get the last one right. "Okay, Taichi. It comes down to you. If you had the day off today…what would you do?"

He stared off into space, appearing to have heard her but was off in his own little bubble. The seconds ticked by. Everyone was silent, waiting for his answer. My team was praying it was right while the other was hoping he said something stupid.

"Ms. Greene? If I had the day off today, I would be eating!" He proclaimed boldly.

I should have seen it coming. I really should have seen it coming. It really doesn't surprise me that Taichi came up with that answer. After all, it is true for him. Takeru was slowly hitting his head on the table, probably pretty upset he himself hadn't thought of a better answer. Hikari was shaking her head back and forth. Yamato leaned over towards me, and I could only give a frustrated sigh. "We tried."

"Yeah, too bad we couldn't have come out victorious."

"I can't believe you, Taichi!" Mimi was beside herself. "You had one chance to redeem yourself and save the game for us, but you blew it! This is so embarrassing." Her pink hair covered her face as she buried her head in her arms.

The other team was all looking excited, apparently knowing the right answer. Well, we always have the chance to get the points if they miss it. I looked expectantly at Ms. Greene, ready to hear the familiar ding of the bell signifying that we had lost.

But the bell sound never came. "Surprisingly, a few others seem to agree with you. Answer number five is indeed eating, and finishes up the board with eighteen points."

We looked from face to face. We won?

"We won?" Yamato asked.

"We won!" Mimi cried. "Oh yeah, baby! We won!" Everyone faced her, and she turned red. "I'm sorry, heh, I just got caught up in the moment."

Ms. Greene couldn't hide her laughter. "Don't worry, Mimi. It happens to the best of us. So, by a large margin, team _Takaishidami_ defeats _The Chunky Penguins_. Now, before this game is over, Taichi's team will need to select two people to answer questions in a rapid fire round. Normally in the actual game, the winning team does this to see how much money they can win. We'll take the two rapid fire scores from today's winning team and tomorrow's and compare them. The highest score means that team is exempt from any homework over the weekend."

"That's awesome! Guys we have to win!" Hikari exclaimed.

"I agree," her brother answered. "Alright, Yama you're up in this round."

I smiled. "Hikari, you should go too. I think you'll do really well."

Hikari gave me a quizzical look. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. I depending on you for no homework." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, I don't want Taichi or Mimi out there." I whispered as she and Yamato headed for the middle of the room.

"Okay, Yamato you'll be first. Hikari, I need you to go outside and wait in the hall so you don't hear any of the answers he gives. I'm going to ask Yamato a series of five questions. He only has to give one answer, and I won't be telling him whether or not it was an actual answer I got. He'll right away move onto the next question, as he only has twenty seconds to do this."

Hikari headed out into the hallway as Ms. Greene set her digital watch. "Are you ready, Yamato?" He simply nodded. "Name the most popular pet."

"Dog."

"A food you'd eat at a barbeque."

"Hamburgers."

"A color girls paint their toenails."

He gave her an odd look. "Blue?"

I couldn't help but smile. The expression on his face was adorable.

"What guys give girls on Valentine's Day."

"Flowers."

"Name a green fruit."

"Grapes."

Ms. Greene smiled and her watch beeped the end. "All right, Yamato. You got done. Let's see your scores…"

Ten minutes later both Yama and Hikari were done. They'd faired reasonably well, Yamato getting seventy points and the younger teen claiming eighty five. "The game is over for today, everyone. I'd like to thank you all for your cooperation."

"Why are you getting your coat, Ms. Greene?" Mimi asked. "We've still got another fifteen minutes left."

"I have a doctor's appointment." She explained. "Mr. Minamoto will be in here as a sub." We all groaned. He was the chemistry teacher and not very popular among the students or faculty. I learned absolutely nothing from him last year. It was horrible; everyone failed his tests but yet passed with A's and B's. Explain that one for me. "I know, but folks, I don't get to choose the sub. I want you all to quietly journal about your job shadowing experiences. That way you won't have any homework overnight. I'll be back later today when you come to pick up your children."

"Ms. Greene?"

"Hello, Mr. Minamoto. I was just explaining what I have for them to do. They'll be journaling…"

"…in a quiet atmosphere, I assume." He held up a stack of detention slips. Mr. Minamoto is also famous for slapping detentions on people just for breathing.

"I don't really care whether or not they talk." Ms. Greene answered with a wave of her hand before she left.

"You heard her, students. Get to work. And no talking."

"But…"

"Mr. Yagami," Taichi gulped, "don't you have a soccer game tonight?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is it safe to say you'd rather be on the field then in detention?"

Tai nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll get right to work." He pulled out his notebook and began to frantically write in it, never lifting his head. I looked over in Mr. Minamoto's direction and saw him smirking at me.

"Aren't we lucky to get the devil again?" Yama murmured in my ear.

I fought back a laugh. "You're telling me…I hated him last year and…"

"Takenouchi, Ishida, would you like to spend the evening in detention too? What part of the words Do Not Talk do your little minds not register?"

"Sorry, sir," We both answered, pulling out our notebooks as well.

Checking my watch, my head fell. We still have another ten minutes left with him. I randomly began to write stuff down in my notebook about my job shadow. Something made me pause though. It was something Ayami had said:

"Good luck with everything, especially the thing with Yamato. I'm pulling for you…"

I'm running out of time. I've got to tell him soon, or else…well, duh; I think I'm pretty aware of the consequences. She told me to trust my heart, go out on a limb and just let him know. Okay, Takenouchi, it's now or never…

_Yama…_

...Yes...

I had torn out a piece of paper from my notebook, quietly, hoping the evil chemistry teacher hadn't heard. I'd get yelled at if he did, and my plan would be out the window. Or the whole entire class would read the note. I can't let him see this.

_Are…are you doing anything Friday night?_

He studied me over before writing his response.

...Not that I'm aware of. Why do you ask?...

Come on Sora; you can do this!

_Do you wanna go out and, I don't know, get something to eat, go to a movie or something…_

I couldn't read the expression on his face, and he had the note hidden behind a book so Mr. Minamoto wouldn't see it.

...The two of us or the whole group?...

_The two of us._

His face bore an amused smile.

...Are you asking me out, Sora Takenouchi?...

I gulped. He didn't want to. He's getting a kick out of this.

_Maybe…_

Yama winked at me, crumbling the paper into a ball. What was I thinking doing this? It's going to ruin or friendship and…

"If you are asking me out, then I'd say I'm free and would love to go out with you this weekend. Because I think I feel something more for you then friendship." He whispered in my ear, face turning a light pink, as Mr. Minamoto turned his back to grab a Kleenex from the bookshelf.

My cheeks tinted red and a smile overtook my features. He does! "Well, then, I guess I am asking you out." I didn't need to tell him that I liked him. He could pretty much infer it.

He offered me an irresistible grin. "Then I'm definitely free to go out with you this weekend, but given the devil is trying to cast us into hell," Mr. Minamoto flashed us a glare, returning to his seat, "We'll work out the details later."

Yamato got back to his work, giving me a smile before he continued to write in his journal/notebook. I couldn't believe it. I'm still in shock. I successfully asked one of my best friends out on a date…and, wow…I just don't know what to think anymore. It seemed so easy, like it somehow should've been harder. Or maybe it was this easy all along, and all Yamato and I needed was a push in the right direction. Thank you Hikari and Mimi. This is still so unbelievable, but one thing's for sure: I can't wait until Friday night…

A/N: Please review! Now I've got to get to school and finish Trigonometry and English homework…


	13. The Game that Plays Us

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**_My Name is R.C.:_**_ Yeah, it was confusing to explain! The date…well, I doubt anyone is expecting it the way it ended up…_

**_I Lurv Digimon:_**_ Don't worry; the ending will satisfy your old-fashioned thoughts. It took me such a long time to write this. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. Hopefully this lives up to your expectations. At the thought of how long this is going to be, I'll save the answers to most of the questions you asked to answer sometime in an e-mail. Oh, and you wanted to know how old I am: 17! Lol! I think that answers all the immediate questions. But thank you SO MUCH for all the long, detailed reviews—even if they did get cut short. Computers have a mind of their own. Thanks for all the compliments and criticisms. Maybe this story will be THE fic that everyone knows. Who knows? We'll just have to see…_

**_Indigowolf:_**_ No, I think I was about ready to post this chapter and didn't have a name so I used Minamoto._

**_Sora's-evil-twin:_**_ Go ahead and rant. I'm a sucker for long reviews…_

**_Inconnu:_**_ There'll be some more traditional stuff later._

**_Kuroi Black Nightingale:_**_ You won't find out till next chapter…_

**_Money makes me smile:_**_ Trigonometry is the branch of math that ties in geometry and algebra. It's like the course right before calculus. It's evil too…_

**_Starr-lover:_**_ Thanks! Actually, I have –counts- five sorato stories out now (six if you count that I only just finished "To the Highest Bidder" last month). It really isn't that hard for me to keep them separate. It's just something I can do. Sometimes I find myself using similar phrases or scenarios in the fics, but nothing too noticeable, expect to me._

**_Sorato-takari:_**_ There are 2 chapters left after this…_

**_Princessstphanie: _**_-blushes- Thanks!_

**_JKWilliams:_**_ Thanks! I hope to see your stories updated sometime soon too!_

**_Scorpion05:_**_ Sora only had to ask him out. The date takes place on Friday; she didn't have to squeeze it in on the same day. That would be hectic! Good luck on your exams!_

And thanks to:** _Courtney, shadowcat, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, blondie121147, crazyamzy, Ballet Kitty, yamatoishida27, .I.Am.Lirin., Sapphire Dragons, Yvonne, daydreamer, DraugDae, Kazama Fangirl, Calare, thegreatwhitewolf, Moppy, animemistress419, r1za-cam1le, Only Secret, _**and **_RW Grimm._**

**DEDICATION:** To **Im4everaqt** (aka I Lurv Digimon) and also to **My Name is R.C.** Thanks to both of you for all the help and advice and such you've given me!

Chapter 13: The Game that Plays Us

The bounce of the small green ball rapidly repeated itself if my ear. Louder and louder, gaining in speed and sound, intricately increasing in momentum. My pulse was racing, coinciding, it seemed, to the speed and power of the tennis ball.

I slammed the ball over the net, hitting it a bit too hard and causing it to reel out of bounds. Gwen tried to stop it, but failed, instead landing in a white heap on the court. "Wow, Sora. It's a good thing you didn't play like this in your match."

She stood up, brushing off her uniform skirt before serving the ball back to me. I chose not to respond, probably as I didn't hear her, too busy lost in my own ragged thoughts.

Tennis has long since been my escape, rescuing me form the real world, life's little games, and the problems and stress that reach their arms around me. Right now, a long relaxing game of tennis seemed like the best remedy to keep me from focusing on what I longed to. But did it work…no.

As I volleyed the ball right into the net, I'd come to the conclusion it was very much affecting my game. Every time I tried to return a hit, I'd think of him. Every time I tried to respond to a serve, I'd think of our upcoming date. Every time I tried to focus on the current game, I'd think of the crazy game we found ourselves in during class and how it has almost completely taken over my life.

Today is Friday, about an hour away from my date with Yamato yet I find myself here on the tennis courts getting my ass kicked. I just needed somewhere to come and think, sort out the conglomeration of thoughts running at full speed through my head, and get away from my problems.

Yet they still haunt me here.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not having any regrets or second thoughts about asking my blond best friend out. I'm more relieved than anything, along with anticipation about the date. But, there are so many new feelings I hadn't expected to come up, brought to life by our friends…

* * *

It started out simple. No one knew the two of us were going out together. I'm sure Mimi and Hikari could infer it, as they did push me to ask him, but they didn't know for sure when we were going.

Ms. Greene assigned our homework for the weekend, the last weekend of the class. "It's rather simple. I want you and your spouse to spend a night together with your children. Talk, reminisce, discuss this class…it'll all be of great help when you present your final project next week."

"What is our project?" Takeru demanded. "Won't it help us more if we know what we have to learn?"

She offered him an enigmatic smile. "That's the fun in it."

"For you maybe." He grumbled back.

Mimi's hand jetted up into the air. "Ms. Greene, I really don't have to spend time with Taichi, do I? I already have plans."

He glared at her. "Am I not good enough for Your Highness?"

She ignored him. "See what I have to deal with?"

"You know you love it."

They stuck their tongues out at each other, prompting laughter from the class and an irritated sigh from our teacher. "It will not kill you, Mimi, to change your plans and spend the evening with Taichi."

"Well, if I don't show up to class next week, you'll know what happened."

"Quit being such a drama queen!" Tai exclaimed. "If you're going to whine and complain so much—which, thankfully I only have to put up with for a few more days—then you can invite Koushiro and Gwen to hang out with us too. More for my sanity than yours."

"You are impossible."

"You are…"

Koushiro interrupted, saving us all from their bickering. "Gwen and I think that's a really good idea. Don't worry Ms. Greene, we'll get it all sorted out."

It was obvious our teacher was happy the problem was somewhat alleviated, at least for the time being. "The team exempt from this is the winner of _Family Feud_...Team No-Name." Cheers could be heard from the victorious team while everyone else let out some groans, exaggerated groans in Taichi and Mimi's case. "Everyone else, well, you know the drill." The bell rang, and everyone got up, voicing his or her opinion on the assignment.

"It'll be a piece of cake," Hikari explained. "We can all just hang out together tonight."

Mimi stared at Taichi. "That way I don't have to put up with _him_ by myself all night."

"What do you have against me?" Taichi fumed. "I don't think I've heard a positive thing every come out of your mouth about me."

"And you think I hear any from you?"

"Well," he stated, "that's a different story. It's so easy and so much fun to antagonize you."

"Well it's so easy to antagonize you!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

It was Gwen who stepped up this time, knowing we'd all be late to class if this kept up. "Eight o'clock at Tai and Kari's sound good?"

It appeared compromise had worked. Everyone nodded their head—well, not everyone…

"Yamato, what's wrong?" His brother asked. "You and Sora will be there, right?"

He gave me a lopsided grin. "Actually, we have other plans already."

Mimi let out a squeal, forgetting about her ongoing war of words with Tai. "They're going out together! She really did ask him!"

The girl enveloped Hikari in a hug, both letting out excited—muffled—shouts of celebration. Oh great. Just stop celebrating. Don't say anything more…

"Am I the only one confused?" Koushiro wondered.

Tai shook his head. "Dude, this is way over my head."

"Care to elaborate?" Gwen replied.

No, don't say it…please for once keep your big mouth's shut…

"Yamato and Sora are finally going out!"

Tai's eyes grew wide in understanding. Koushiro was trying not to snicker. Gwen had a huge grin on her face. And Takeru was cracking up. "It took you two _this_ long to finally get around to it. Jeez…"

"Just…shut up," I replied. "It's none of your business." I grabbed Yama's hand, pulling him in the direction of our next class.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked me, a bit startled by the pissed off look I so easily wore.

I sighed, getting us into the class just before the tardy bell signaled. "I just…I didn't…it would be better if they didn't know we were going out."

"Class, take your seats!" Our physics teacher demanded. "We're going to have a pop quiz…"

Yamato and I separated, pausing our conversation as we were more concerned about our test. The door opened. "…well, Mr. Yagami, come join us. We were just about to take a quiz…"

* * *

"Damn it!" I looked down at my racquet. My very nice, expensive racquet. My tournament wining racquet. My expensive game winning racquet with two broken strings now highlighting it.

Gwen walked over to my side of the court, sympathetic smile on her face. "You're just having some afternoon, aren't you?"

She gestured down to my knee. I had so gracefully fallen, diving for a very nice hit from Gwen but, as my mind was obviously not on the game, cut open my knee when I hit the court. I sighed. "It's looking that…"

"WAHHHHH!"

"…way." My head nearly fell to the ground as Megumi started screaming.

"I'd almost forgotten she was here. Koushiro has our child."

"Yama has Ryo. She was good up until now. I guess she has some sort of sensor that tells her to go off at the most inopportune moment."

Gwen laughed. "It appears that way." She glanced down at her watch and let out a curse. "Shit! I have to get going! I'm supposed to pick up some food for our little get together tonight."

"What time is it?" I cautiously asked.

"Six thirty. And…"

"Shit! I have to go!"

"Date with your soul mate?" She innocently asked. It was a phrase Taichi had penned earlier today, and I wanted nothing more than to never hear it again.

Biting my lip, I managed to gather everything I brought with me. "Have fun with the others, Gwen."

"I wanna hear all the gory details!" She catcalled as I went to cross the street.

I glared at her, walking down the crosswalk as fast as I could, Megumi in one hand and my beloved tennis racquet in the other. Due to the injury on my knee, I couldn't walk that fast, settling in the end for a cross between a slow speed walk and a limp.

People all over the streets were giving me odd looks. And it wasn't just for the way I was walking.

"Kids these days. If I ever thought of having a child when I was her age…"

"I wonder what her mother said."

"I would have disowned her if she was my daughter."

My feet stopped walking as if they were firmly planted in the cement below me. Turning, I faced the speaker of the last comment. "Look, lady, it's for a project at school. This baby isn't real."

She was shocked at my tone, facing her friend and murmuring, "And I would disown her if she had those manners as well."

I would have stayed to—most likely—yell at her, but I knew I didn't have the time. I started back down the street, heading in the direction of my apartment as fast as I could hobble.

Five minutes later I arrived. Yamato is going to be here in about twenty minutes, and I look like the Bride of Frankenstein. Battered and bruised, I climbed the steps, only to be stopped by another obstruction. "Hey Sora! You getting ready for your date with your soul mate?"

I groaned. "Taichi, I don't have time! Yamato's going to be here soon, and obviously I'm not ready."

"You look fine. Yama won't care if you're decked out in anything spectacular. Believe me."

"Have you not seen me?"

Tai chuckled. "I'm looking at you now, aren't I?"

"Ignore my last comment. Would you really want to go out with someone looking like this?"

"Dude, Sor. I'm a guy. I know how guys think. We love for a girl to look her best, but we want her to be as natural as she can too. She doesn't need to overdo it to look great. Looks are always a good thing, but it's more about personality and other stuff that attracts us."

"Taichi, that's nice to hear and all, but I'm BLEEDING and dirty."

"Oh," He finally understood, taking a glance at my knee. "Well, that merits a shower. But seriously, Sora. You don't need to doll yourself up for Yama. He likes…"

I threw my hands into the air, somehow managing to not drop everything I was holding. "Did you really think I was going to spend hours on my appearance? Tai, I really need to go take a shower and get ready. I wish you guys would stop gushing and Yama and my love life or lack of one!"

I hadn't meant to sound that blunt and rude, but I could tell that's the way my best friend interpreted it. "Oh, well then…I'll…I'll just let you go."

"Taichi, wait!" He stopped walking to his apartment at the sound of my voice. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I've just had a really stressful day and…"

"It's cool, Sor. I know how you feel; it's very understandable. Go get yourself ready for your date with lover boy and have fun." He leaned over to give me a hug. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I finally succeeded in smiling, laughing even, knowing it had just made Tai's day. "Bye dork."

I rushed up the last set of stairs, well aware that time was not in my favor. I'm probably going to be lucky if I can get a five minute shower in. Unlocking the door, I sprinted into my apartment, hastily tossing everything on the table—with the exception of actually setting Megumi's carrier down—and then made a beeline for the bathroom.

The water began to heat up, but it didn't get there fast enough for my tastes. I climbed in, cringing as a barrage of icy liquid pelted my body. Gradually the temperature increased until it went from feeling like a glacier to a volcano.

It felt so good and had I not been in the situation I was, thinking about Yamato, or so worried, I would have stayed to enjoy it. But the clock on the wall brought me back to reality. Why was I cursed with the unfortunate fate of always running late?

Shutting the water off, I became a mad woman. I don't think I've ever moved that fast before in my life. I dressed in a new ruffled turquoise skirt—yeah, skirt, who would've ever thought—that I'd just gotten. My top consisted of a white camisole with a cute little blue wrap sweater overtop of it.

I blow dried my hair, trying to go as fast as possible. At the same time, I plugged in my straightener, hoping it would heat up in enough time to tame my hair. Finally, my red mess was dry, but the straightener wasn't ready. I nervously paced around the bathroom. 6:55, he's going to be here really soon.

Now with only five minutes remaining, I was starting to worry. I tend not to be this scared and nervous, but I just can't keep myself from it right now. The way that my day has been going just seems like it's going to parallel my date with Yamato. It's really starting to scare me. I'm not normally a superstitious person, but I'm just getting this odd feeling at the moment and…

"Ouch!" I touched the straightener to see if it was hot enough. Apparently it is.

Placing my hand under the running water of the sink, I could feel a blister beginning to form. Great, just great. This really has not been a good…

"WAHHHHHH!"

…day…

I rushed out into the kitchen, hearing my darling little girl crying again. She's been incredibly moody lately, for a doll at least. The last time I had her, she hardly ever cried. But now, it's as if she's trying to torture me. And she's winning.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

He's here. Oh, God. I'm not even close to ready. Placing the crying Megumi in my left hand—the hand that hadn't gotten burnt—I composed myself the best I could before walking to the door.

"Sor, is everything alright? I heard crying."

"Can you see what's wrong? I need to finish getting ready."

His eyes searched mine, moving down to study my body and attire. "You look…"

"…please, Yama?"

"Okay."

He walked in, offering Megumi the bottle next to her carrier while I rushed into the bathroom once more, intent upon finishing as quickly as possible. I straightened my hair, deciding to do nothing to it, and then speed walked into my room, picking up my blue flip flops.

"Yamato, I'm ready. Sorry, I've just been…Ouch!"

Why me?

He set down the now silent doll and quickly headed to where I was standing, now inspecting my knee. "Sora, what happened?"

"I cut it when I was playing tennis with Gwen." Damn table. I guess I do have the habit of running into inanimate objects.

Thankfully my skirt went just above my knees and none of the blood managed to find its way there. I walked over to the cupboard, grabbing band aids and some disinfectant. "Here, let me."

"It's fine. I can do it myself." I snapped.

The blonde's eyes widened, a bit surprised by my outburst. "Okay…"

"I'm sorry, Yamato." I looked at him, hurt evident in his eyes. How much apologizing am I going to do in one day? "Things have just been crappy for me today. School was horrible and the afternoon hasn't been much better."

"Don't worry about it. We'll have fun tonight and make you forget all about your troubles."

A smile lit up on my face. "Thanks, Yama. Hopefully we will. And hopefully the two of them will behave for us." My smile faltered as I looked at the doll he'd brought with him and the one I had. "Your dad couldn't watch them?"

He snickered. "Dad _refused_ to watch them. I think he's been traumatized for life after watching them during your tennis match."

"My parents are at a dinner party with some of dad's associates. Sometimes I think they have more of a social life then we do."

"I've been thinking the same thing. Well, how about we get going? These two can't be that bad. We'll get through it."

"So where are we going?" Though I'd asked him out, he made all the reservations, refusing to let me know where we were headed.

"It's…"

"…a surprise. I know. Just tell me, am I dressed well enough for the place we're going?"

An adorable grin grazed his features. "Do I look that dressed up?"

I studied his outfit. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a green long-sleeved button down shirt. Nothing too dressy or casual at the same time. It was just in the middle, seemingly perfect on him. "Not especially,"

"Well, there's your answer." He picked up Ryo and opened the door for me. "But you look…wow."

A blush doused my cheeks. "I take it you approve. Let's go…"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the surprise place. It was one of the nicer restaurants in our area, but not a place considered too formal. Or so I thought.

"Can I help you?" The man at the front desk asked.

"Yes, sir. I have reservations under the name Ishida."

"Ishida…Ishida…ah, here we are. Right this…" He paused in the middle of his thought. "No children are allowed inside the restaurant."

I showed Megumi to the man. "She's a doll. We have to take them with us for a school project."

"Nonetheless, we can't bend the rules for just anyone. If we did that, customers would demand that we let them bring their children."

"It's okay, sir. We'll just…"

"They're just dolls," I interrupted. "What's the harm in bringing them in?"

"WAHHHHH!" It was Ryo this time, letting off a banshee cry, as if knowing it would ruin our chances.

The man looked at me. "I'd say that is the harm. I'm sorry, but the two of you and your children must leave."

"They're dolls. Not children!" I exclaimed, noticing a few other people watching us.

"Come on, Sor. Let's go. There's no reason to stay here."

Yama nearly had to drag me outside. "That guy was a jerk."

The blond stared at me. "Well, he can't exactly go changing his policy."

I sighed, pausing to take a long deep breath. "I know. I'm being stupid and stubborn. I really have had a bad day."

He smiled, wrapping his free arm around my shoulders. "Well, then we're going to go somewhere to relax. I know this place that has great sushi. We can get some and then go eat at the park. No one will disturb us there."

I smiled up at him. "I hope so…"

* * *

"I don't know what's wrong with kids these days."

"I bet their parents nearly died when they found out she was pregnant."

"Two kids! There's no way they can afford to take care of them."

So much for the park being a place of refuge. No sooner had we got there, found a nice place to sit under the large oak tree I love, and began to talk and enjoy our supper, the scathing comments found their way into our ear range.

I tried my best to ignore them; really, I did. I've heard people—namely being children or teenagers—say rude things to me before, and I managed to keep my tongue in check. But I couldn't help it now.

"They're freaking dolls! They're not our actual children."

"Excuse me," One old lady replied as she and her friend stopped before us.

"What she means to say," Yamato was somehow able to hold his temper in, "is that they are dolls for a class we are taking at school. We have to take them with us. They aren't real nor are they our children."

The woman stared at him. "Well, thank goodness." She answered before walking off.

I stared down at the uneaten rice ball before me, suddenly losing my appetite. I can't believe I'm getting so worked up over everything. This normally never happens to me. My eyes found Yamato's, and I knew he was completely freaked out.

Something I had forgotten about the blond that I really should have remembered came flashing into my head. He's commitment phobic…afraid of commitment. It's a characteristic male trait; it seems all males have some sort of fear of it, ranging from miniscule to incredibly terrified. Yamato fits in on the far side of the spectrum, somewhere in the area of vary wary.

It goes back to the days of his parents' divorce. He never took it that well back then, but as he got older, gradually began to understand more. Yet he's never lost that fear that what happened to his parents could possibly happen to him. It's been that way with all the girls he'd dated, though nothing has ever gotten too serious. All his relationships have been casual, flirtatious, and with no inkling of any future, almost like our own relationship up to this point. But now, I want something more with him. I'm yearning for a future. And I don't know what he wants.

Yama's never one to open up very quickly. He'd rather take things slowly, not overdo anything for fear of being hurt or hurting someone close to him.

And right now, I think I'm doing more to push his fearful feelings into the open then drive them away.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch today." I apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time.

He offered me a weak smile, finishing off a piece of sushi. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to act like this today, but we all have our off days, right?"

"I wanted tonight to be special…something different than normal."

"Well it is, isn't it?"

I pulled my knees to me. "With the way I've been acting, I don't think so."

We were both silent for a moment, gathering our thoughts. More people walked by on the winding trail through the park, often pausing to comment about our "kids". Yamato was starting to look a bit more scared, and I had a feeling a lot of it was coming from things I've said.

I told myself to breathe, forget about the others around me. "They're not real. Just dolls for a class at school." The explanation stood for those who stopped to gawk, apparently satisfying their hunger for gossip and news about it.

"See, now there's the normal, Sora. You know how to keep yourself grounded and not let your temper overwhelm you. That's one of the reasons I love you…"

My eyes shot up from the peacefully sleeping Megumi. "What…what did you say?"

"I…I didn't say anything." He stuttered, nervousness clear in his voice. He was shaking as if very afraid. But I knew what I heard.

"Yes, you did. You…you just said that you love me." I looked at him hopefully.

"No I didn't!" He exclaimed. "I don't love you…I…I don't."

Yamato was completely freaked out, repeating the phrase. I felt my heart break in two, shattering into millions of tiny pieces with each repeated denial. Tears began to fall, and I tried to reason with him. "Yamato, you're just freaked out by…"

"I have to go." He shot up, grabbing Ryo and dashing out of the park as fast as his legs would carry him.

"Yamato!" I cried, pleading with him to turn around. "Yamato? Come back." Tears dripped down my face. Megumi, as if sensing the distress I was in, began to scream, echoing into the now empty park. Our sobs joined together, growing louder it seemed. I collapsed onto the ground, shoulders heaving. He had been so scared by all my fears and anger that he denied something we both knew he admitted. And now, that could have ruined it for us, everything from a chance at a relationship to our friendship. The realization hit me like a thousand bricks.

I pushed him away.

It's all my fault…

A/N: Please review, and no death threats to the authoress! 2 more chapters to go!


	14. Reading of the Wills

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**_Game Master and Wishinstahhz:_** First off, thank you for taking all that time to go back and review even though you've already read this before. Money received as prizes is a one-time thing; their salary is their yearly profit. Glad you like it…

**_Kazama Fangirl: _**Before I say anything, I want to say thank you. Thank you for putting up with this story even though you're not always happy with it. Your reviews—the criticisms—encourage me more than anything to develop my skills and make this story the best it can be. The crying part with be explained in the first few paragraphs. I really wish I hadn't written the whole "breaking into pieces thing". You're right; Sora is sensible. She understands Yamato…I'll delve deeper into that in here. As to the Michi…I really do like the pairing. I've tried to insert it where I can, but it doesn't always work out. I tried my best to put some in this chapter…

**_My Name is R.C:_** Awe, thanks. Sora is not the damsel in distress in here. In fact, she's back in her apartment by the first sentence…

**_Sorato4evaLove…:_**Your name is long. Lol. I'm glad you like them.

**_I Lurv Digimon:_**I tried to send you back the reply, but it won't let me. I keep getting these "delivery failed" e-mails. As to why (not talking about the e-mails anymore), I offer another explanation, though yours made perfect sense too. Child Development is supposed to be a breeze. It's not supposed to hard like Physics or anything. Ms. Greene knows that and is trying to change it. She's trying to adapt them to the things they'll face after school—with the exception of some of the games. Sora's human, and it seemed only normal to have an off day and mad. Nope, you nailed my thoughts on Sora, along with her having a bad day. Thanks for a long review.

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_**That's what I was trying to get across…

**_StarDust002:_** Long chapter? Ha…-looks at word count- Is 7,000 words long enough? –Looks at word count again- 7,000? Good Lord…

**_Inconnu:_** Don't worry, I believe you're female. Yeah, death threats aren't cool…

And thanks to:**_ gftyf, Crystal Luna Starr, Yume-dream, animemistress419, raven-313, Kuroi Black Nightingale, Yvonne, teehee, .I.Am.Lirin., sorato-takari, Moppy, yamatoishida27, Happybunnyroxmysox, shadowcat, Ballet Kitty, scorpion05, Calare, Darkladyxion959, Karone-Sakura, nickygirl, Chick Gurlas, money makes me smile, Syl Sylver, KoumiLoccness, thegreatwhitewolf, Only Secret, RiaSternchen, blondie121147, Miranda, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, Princessstphanie, sapphire dragons, _**and**_ indigowolf._**

Chapter 14: Reading of the Wills

The monotone tick of the grandfather clock filled the air, occasionally drowned out by the still falling rain. I stared longingly at the timepiece while I sat in the cozy recliner in my living room. Perhaps the hands of time can turn back around, giving me the chance to rectify the situation I find myself in.

But at the same time, I cannot help but wonder. Could, though it could never be an option unless I lived in the Harry Potter (Not mine!) universe, traveling back to earlier in the day do any good?

Fifteen minutes ago, I sat in the park, drenching wet, tears dripping down my face, and hearing Megumi's wails drown out all sound around me. What was wrong with that scene?

Thankfully it didn't take long for my senses to kick in.

Why was I crying? Why was I just sitting there on my ass? Why didn't I go after Yamato and fix things right away?

Crying has never solved any problems for me. I learned that lesson quite a long time ago and usually don't cry over many things—with the obvious exceptions, of course. This time, though seemingly large, really wasn't worth crying over. But I found myself doing it there.

Why?

My reply would have to be shock. I know very well that I wasn't imagining what Yamato told me. He and I both know that. Goodness knows how many hints he's been dropping both before and during the project, culminating by saying those three little words.

It was just the flat-out unexpected shock of him staying his last statement. He was afraid; he and I knew that too. But it was the action of saying the words. Hearing the retraction repeated over and over again was not something I expected. I knew Yama hadn't really meant them. There was too much proof against that.

His tone and attitude only added to the effect the words gave me. Yamato was freaked out, and his response was that as well: nervous, harsh, defensive, and scared. Human tendency made me cry.

But then my senses and good judgment came back.

Brushing the last lingering tears from my eyes, I rose. Megumi was the first task. I had her quieted in no time, placing the bottle in her mouth and burping her. One of the perks of having her around all the time was knowing for what reason she tends to cry most of the time.

I gathered my remaining things. With my daughter in one hand and other materials in the opposite, I began to return home to sort out my thoughts and come up with a plan of action…

Around that time, sitting in front of the large clock, my rationale was nearly complete. I had a bad day; everyone gets them. I'm not characteristically myself on those days. But don't I have the right to be? It seems only…human…to become crabby and grumpy should you experience everything I went through.

It's easy to see why Yama freaked out on me. Quite honestly, I don't blame him one bit. My attitude resurfaced some of his old fears. Though I should have been able to keep my cool in the situations I faced and not responded to some statements the way I did, I just lost it. The stress of this game, approaching finals, and everyone assuming Yamato and I were "soul mates" did me in.

I could see him scared after some of my comments. It was something I knew about Yamato and knowing it, I should have stopped myself when I had the chance. But my mood was controlling my actions. Still, though, while I knew that about Yamato, he should have known the same about me. We've known each other for so long that we know normal behaviors and idiosyncrasies about the other. He knows how I normally act. He knew the way my day was going. He shouldn't have run. But I shouldn't have overdone it. I'm so confused!

The major conflict I now reside in—now that both Megumi and my tears have disappeared, gone and not coming back (at least in my case), and we find ourselves alone in the apartment—is what to do. My blond "husband" finally admitted something I've been hoping to hear him say, or gather the courage to tell him, for such a long time. But even though we both knew what he said, he still ran.

How are we going to get through this? What are we going to do?

Most importantly, how are we going to save our friendship from being destroyed? He really hurt me by saying that, but I know I scared him by my behavior. Is there any inkling we can be together, not just stay friends?

Yama and I are both sensible people. We've had our share of fights, both in and out of the class and project, yet we've managed to overcome them. He and I get each other; it's as simple as that. We have such a strong friendship to let it get crushed by an argument like this. Maybe my optimism is going to come through right now.

At first when he said he didn't love me, and after repeating it, it seemed like I'd been hit by a tidal wave. My heart felt like it had taken a blow, hit hard by a metal bat. But now that I really think about it, sitting down, not letting my emotions or anger control me, I realize it's not broken. Yamato and I can get through this. He knows that I understand what happened. He knows I'm not to going to sit back and let this pass through. He knows.

I've always been a strong-minded and willed person, and I'm not going to stop now. Sitting back, waiting for Yamato to make the first move will get me nowhere. I need to talk to him soon.

But there's one call I need to make first. Too bad it's 11:30 on a Friday night. I won't be a bother even though I want to talk to someone first before addressing the blond. I'll have to wait till tomorrow…

* * *

"This is Ayami Tanaka speaking." 

"Ayami, it's Sora."

"Sora, hi! How are you?"

It was another dreary day weather-wise. The rain had continued, seemingly picking up in force and vigor. Today is the kind of day you either want to stay inside for or go out and play in the rain. The latter is one of my favorite things to do, but it's always a hundred times more fun when you have another person or persons with you.

So I found myself inside, not with the intention to mope or cry—how are either of those options going to help anything—but on the phone with, hopefully, someone who can pass on a few words of wisdom.

"I've seen better days."

She was silent for a moment. "Sora, I have a client in right now. Can I call you back sometime soon?"

"Of course," As much as I wanted her guidance now, I could wait. I have nothing else to do today anyway. I need time to gather my thoughts and ideas before talking to Yamato. Sometimes it's good just to jump in and let your heart and mind speak for you, but it isn't the right approach this time.

"Talk to you later."

"Bye."

My normal demeanor had returned overnight. It usually does in instances like yesterday. Don't get me wrong; I'm feeling a bundle of emotions after last night. Confusion, shock, pain, and sadness are still quelled up in my heart, but the feeling of hope and believing Yamato and I can work through this overpower all the rest.

I really do think Yama and I have a chance for a future and can work out what happened. It's just a matter of time now.

About an hour later, around eleven a.m., Ayami returned the call. "Sora, I'm sorry I couldn't talk when you called."

"It's perfectly okay. I needed the time to figure out how I can explain things."

"Go ahead; talk away."

"Well, I asked Yama out, and he said yes." Slowly I explained everything, starting first with the points leading up to the date during the weekdays and then finally launching into an explanation of all the events of yesterday.

When I was finished, she was silent once again, most likely registering everything I told her. "That's…wow. I'm really sorry, Sora."

"So am I, Ayami. Yamato and I both hold the blame for it. I'm just kind of scared about the effect this could leave on our friendship or any type of relationship between us, for that matter. We both know he admitted to loving me…"

"How are you going to go about your relationship should the two of you work things out and end up together?"

I plopped down on the couch, a heavy sigh escaping my lips. "That's another question altogether. Even though he's said those words and I'm pretty sure I feel the same, I don't want to rush us. Jumping from friendship to love isn't like waving a magic wand. Things take time."

We talked for the next twenty minutes, discussing what means I could take to solve my problem and talk to Yamato. Ayami told me of an experience in her life with her father. He had abandoned the family after she was born and come back years later. "I was never able to forgive him. There was always a wall between us, hindering our relationship. He worked hard to try and fix our relationship, but I pushed him away. It never hit me how important he was to me until he died of a heart attack two years ago."

It was my turn to offer up condolences, but she quickly brushed them away. "Don't let that happen to you. Just talk to Yamato. It sounds like the two of you are very smart people. I know you can figure it out."

"Thanks." A weak smile was emerging on my face from the talk as I turned to look out the window. The sun was shining, as if paralleling my changing mood. "I don't know for sure how we'll figure it out. Maybe our class project will provide an opportunity…"

* * *

"Why are the desks like this, Ms. Greene?" 

The bell had just rung, and everyone entered the Child Development room a bit puzzled by the set-up. It was our third to last day of this class, and after sitting through the long, dull finals in our other morning classes, believe me when I say I was very much looking forward to this class and Ms. Greene's antics.

"Well, as the seniors are all done on Wednesday, the game is coming to an end. That means that married life is approaching its end as well. Our final project, though in real life it would be one you complete with your spouse, is going to be an individual one. Everyone take a seat, and I'll explain it."

My classmates and I were all eager to hear her explanation. As there were no assigned desks, it was a mad dash for the back of the room—even though it's a fun class, the seats in the back are _always_ treasured. I sat down in the middle half between Hikari and Mimi. Leaning back in my seat, I began to shiver. Someone was watching me. I tilted my head as discreetly as possible, already certain I knew the person doing it. Only one person can give me that look.

Yamato was on the other side of the room, seemingly the farthest seat away from mine. He caught my eyes looking back into his and turned his head away. He'd been ignoring me all morning, fleeing from sight, making up some sort of imaginary—or real—excuse to leave if I came near him. But, quite honestly, I'd been ignoring him too. I know! I know! I shouldn't be ignoring him! I should have already talked to him and sorted things out. I just lost a little bit of my confidence as the day went on.

Just seeing Yama in the hall, stoical and more reserved than normal, very un-Yamato like—well, he hasn't acted like that since the year his parents divorced—should have made me run over there. But it didn't. Perhaps it was guilt, perhaps something unknown. I just couldn't face him.

Yet.

Seeing him now and the look of internal anguish, well, maybe that's being a bit melodramatic, he gave me…I know I have to talk to him soon. This is driving us both crazy.

"The reason I have for wanting you all to do this on your own is to get a sense of the ideas and insights you gained from this class. The things you learned to appreciate and the things you despised."

"It might help if you told us what exactly we're doing." Tai called out.

"Patience," Ms. Greene smiled at him. "You all will be writing out a will to be read out loud in front of the class tomorrow. As wills are a topic across the globe and usually a key thing people will do near the end of their life, they mark a fitting end for this game. You will each assemble a will. Mandatory in this will is references to your children and spouse."

Oh great…wait a minute…this could be the opportunity I was looking for.

"You can also make references to friends and other people. There's no designated length, but I ask that each of you offer up an explanation as to why you give someone something. For example, Takeru could say that he leaves his baseball cards to his children because someday they will be huge fans just like he is. These reasons will be based on both fact and speculations. In my last example, we don't know for sure that T.K.'s child likes baseball. It's just a guess."

Murmurs of acceptances traveled through the class. A project like this will be easy, a hundred times better than any test or written paper. And this could work out in my favor as well.

"You have the rest of the period to work. Final copies will need to be turned in after you present your will tomorrow. Everyone," she placed heavy emphasis on the word, "will have to go tomorrow. No one is going on Wednesday. We'll be turning things in on Wednesday, including your children." More cheers. "And, as a special treat, you all will NOT have to take your children home anymore. Consider that part of the task done."

"Free at last! Free at last!" Tai led the cheers for that proposition. I had to smile. Megumi and Ryo weren't the best children at all times, but I think I learned a lot from them. This project, wrapping up such a memorable game, seemed to make the whole class happy. Well, that and the school year winding down.

Mimi, Hikari, Gwen, and I pulled our desks together. The class was splitting up into different groups of friends to work, or more likely gossip. Yamato and the guys were all over by his desk.

"Sora how was your date with your soul mate?" Gwen teased.

The others gathered in closer, wanting to hear the juice. I thought back to something Mimi had said last week. Something about being a monkey's uncle if Yama didn't return the feelings. I'd love to call her that, but he did return the feelings before freaking out.

"It's none of your guys' business."

"Come on, did he kiss you?"

I glared at the persistent females. "Ladies, I would like to tell you, but it's between Yamato and me."

Kari's eyes lit up. "Did…did something happen that we should know about?"

"You two didn't sleep together, did you?" Mimi's eyes widened as she turned in her chair to glance at the blond. "That would explain why you're avoiding each other. Oh my God. I can't believe it!"

I furiously shook my head, face becoming a cherry tomato. "Mimi, keep it down! Yama and I didn't do that. It's…complicated. None of you need to get involved."

Gwen bit her lip in frustration. "Come on, Sora, you know you can trust us."

"I know that, but like I said, it's between Yama and me. I'd rather not have you pry for details from either of us, particularly Yamato. Just leave it alone. He and I are going to talk some things over."

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"

My face fell into my hands. She just wouldn't give up. "For the last time, Mimi, Yamato and I didn't have sex. Nothing like that happened. Just leave it alone…"

The bell rang, and I gathered my things, very happy I could get away from the girls. I love them all to death, but they refused to stop pestering me about what happened. Taichi was standing by the door waiting for me. Yamato was nowhere in sight.

"Sora, I don't know what the hell happened between you and Yamato over the weekend, but you had better do something about it. Quickly. I haven't seen him this moody and somber for a very long time. It's going to drive me insane if the two of you don't get to the bottom of whatever happened."

I made a motion to interrupt, but he kept me from doing so. "Sora, I told Yamato the same thing. I'm on no one's side. He only told me that your date didn't go as it should have. I told him that if he hurts you, he'll live to regret it. And now I'm going to tell you the same thing. Hurt him, and you will not want to talk to me. You two are my best friends. I'm trying to look out for you and…"

"Taichi, I'm touched that you're there for us. I'm being sincere too. Yama and I just had a misunderstanding. It hurt us both; we'd both admit it. But it's between the two of us. I know we can work through it, and we're going to try and salvage our relationship. I want you to believe that too."

"Sor, if anyone can work through some differences, it's the two of you. You've been friends for so long not to be able to. But what kind of relationship? Platonic or romantic?"

I smiled at him, pulling out my Physics notebook to get some last minute cramming done before part one of our three part final. Hesitating, as I was still unsure of the answer, I finally spoke up, "Taichi, I promise you that by tomorrow, you and Yamato will know what my answer is."

With the confused brunette staring at me, I walked into Physics…

* * *

"Taichi, I think you'll be our next…victim…as no one will volunteer." 

Tomorrow had come too fast. I sat in my temporary desk, knuckles white, shaking in anticipation and fear. My will sat on the desk, folded, lying unopened before me, and the moment of truth was quickly approaching. But Tai came first.

He walked to the front of the room, a bit unsure of what he was doing. Ms. Greene gave him an encouraging smile. Taichi wasn't the first to go; there had already been three others "volunteered" to go first. He cleared his throat, ready to begin.

"Um, I, Taichi Yagami, here in writing, offer up my will for. First, to my wife Mimi Tachikawa Yagami, I leave all money in my name and the wish of good heath and a future. Though our marriage was never really strong…okay, strong doesn't begin to describe it. It was a mess! Chaos! Pandemonium! Complete and utter…"

"Please continue on, Mr. Yagami. I think you'll need a thesaurus if you really wanted to continue."

He turned a light shade of pink. "My bad. Where was I? Oh yeah…well even though neither of us expected to be married to each other, we stood it out, managing to avoid divorce in the process. Who would have ever thought?"

"Not me," I heard Mimi mutter from my left, smile forming on her face.

"Well, Meems, it was real and really weird, but I still had a good time with you. Oh, and I leave the house to you too. Do whatever you want with it. I might end up regretting that when I say it, but remember, I can very easily come back to haunt you. Keep that in mind when you choose to change everything to some shade of pink."

I looked over to my pink-haired friend, seeing the smile grow. Clearly she wasn't expecting him to say something along those lines.

"To my daughter, Sakura, I leave my soccer things and my hope that she'll continue on the tradition of being skilled in that field. But then again, she is my daughter so…"

"Mr. Yagami, please stay on task."

"Sorry again. To my sister Hikari goes my car. I'd give mine to Mimi, but it's not pink. And I think Kari could probably use another car anyway."

A light chuckle escaped my classmates' mouths as Tai continued on, now looking as cool as a cucumber. "T.K., who in this game is my brother-in-law— but he'll be that in real life too, eventually — I offer you all my old school supplies and notebooks. I NEVER used them, but I have a feeling a future writer could put them all to good use."

Who knew Tai could be so suave? And sweet? And sincere? No wonder he and I have been such great friends over the years.

"Koushiro and Gwen…computer games. They just seemed fitting for the two of you."

"And finally to my two best friends, Yamato and Sora."

The blond and I, still sitting across the room from each other, locked eyes. I think we both knew what was coming, particularly if it was anything like the talk he gave us each yesterday. "To the two of you, I leave a hope for the future. I'd offer an explanation, but the two of you are well aware of what I'm alluding too. Oh, and as for material possessions, I'm leaving you each some cash. I figure it's the least I can do as I'll be a rich political ambassador and the two of you…" Ms. Greene cleared her throat very noticeably. "Gotcha, Ms. G! Oh, and I also donate Mimi's time and talent to be a babysitter for your twins. She'd just _love _to do that. And this is my will."

I could tell he had no idea how to end it. He completely pulled that out of this butt. But is sounded good. I have a feeling that's going to be one of our teacher's favorite wills of the whole day. It looks like Taichi will be passing after all.

Ms. Greene led the applause. One by one, everyone joined in, causing the brunette to take a long bow. "Taichi, if you would now go sit down by your child." Our teacher aimlessly pointed over to the corner where all the dolls were lined up. "Your spouse will join you there when she is done."

"Okay," he saluted, large grin overtaking his features. As he passed me, his smirk grew bigger. "I'm done with this class!"

I shook my head as a small smile formed on my own face. My mind then drifted to my will and the words I had written. I'd spent a good three hours working on it amid the studying I was doing last night yet it was maybe two minutes long at the most.

I put my heart and soul into it, trying my absolute best from making anything sappy and corny; that's what took so long. It was a Herculean task, one that was proved by my now overflowing wastebasket full of discarded drafts. I attempted to transfer every feeling I had into the writing, and, truthfully, I don't think it turned out too horribly. But I guess we'll just see what Yamato thinks about it.

At first I thought it would be easy. But then I realized that I needed to make it vague enough that not everyone would understand, and of course, for my own sake, keep the fluff out of it. Every now and then I could tolerate it. I don't think I was even able to keep in entirely out of the will, particularly in the section about Yama. But I did my best. And I wanted to keep it general because I was reading it in front of the others. No one, with the exception of Yamato and I, know what happened. Heck, hardly anyone knew Yamato and I were going out. I know Tai and the others had been gossiping about it for the past twenty-four hours, though, and were desperately trying to get to the bottom of it.

Apparently from what I've heard, Yamato didn't leak out many details either. They were, and would remain, completely in the dark.

Ms. Greene sighed. "Well, four wills down. Do we have ANY volunteers or do I have to choose again?"

Silence.

"None? Then..."

"I'll do it."

I really need to keep my thoughts to myself. "Thank you, Sora. The floor is all yours."

My feet managed to stand; though I felt my nerves kick in, making me a bit shaky on my legs. I slowly moved to the front of the room taking a deep breath. It's now or never. I can do this. I _need_ to do this. My crimson eyes searched around the room on a quest for some sort of comfort. And I thought Taichi was unsure.

Well, here it goes. At least the generic opening Ms. Greene made sure we all included will turn out well.

"Go ahead, Sora." She offered me a comforting smile and with another deep, calming breath, I began to speak.

"I, Sora Takenouchi Ishida, here in writing, offer up my will. First and foremost, I leave Taichi Yagami all my old soccer materials and collectables. I know you'll put them to good use and go far with them in life. You're my best friend, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with some of the things I have."

The bushy brunette gave me a thumbs up from his seat on the floor next to the dolls. So far, so good.

"To Mimi, I give my closest of clothes, including those unreleased to the public. As a fashion designer, I'd have some of the best clothes. I can think of no one else but you who should get them and use all of them."

She looked like she could run up and hug me. I knew it was the perfect gift for her, and frankly, it was one of the only things other than money I could think of for her. My mind was too busy concentrating on what I was writing for the blond. "To Takeru and Hikari Takaishi. I leave the two of you a considerable sum of money to fund any of your dreams and help out with family expenses. Never give up on anything you set your mind too."

My nerves were beginning to calm. While writing this was not easy, giving the speech felt like a huge burden had been freed from my heart. I really needed to do this.

"Koushiro and Gwen," I continued after seeing the two younger teens smile. "Koushiro, I know you've been jealous of some of the computer software I have. It's yours now. Gwen, you are amazing at tennis, and I offer you all my old equipment and the likes."

"Thanks, Sor!" she couldn't help but answer, setting off a stream of laughter.

"To my two beautiful children Ryo and Megumi, I bequeath my money, house, and legacy. Carry on a strong family tradition."

"And finally…finally to my husband, Yamato. To you I give the strongest, most sincere gift I can offer: my heart."

Silence filled the room. I could tell everyone was wondering if there was an underlying meaning behind the phrase. I glanced in the blonde's direction, finding his cerulean orbs locked with mine. Don't get lost in them.

At least I know I have his attention; now I just have to stay focused.

"Yama, I don't know what more I can offer you other than my regret for what happened. I can only hope you understand what I am alluding to, and it is my hope that you accept my gift." I took a deep, lasting breath. "That concludes my will."

Ms. Greene started the clapping once more, and others gradually joined in. Yamato was sitting there, eyes still on me, remaining stagnant. He made no motion of happiness, anger, or confusion.

Great, it appears that just backfired on me.

"Creative approach, Sora, particularly with the last part. Please go join your children. Alright, does anyone else want to volunteer or am I going to randomly select people again?" I headed to where Megumi and Ryo were stationed, noticing Taichi give me a rather noticeable wink.

"I'll go, Ms. Greene."

Snickers arose as people wondered what the reaction would be. "Go Yamato!"

The blond smirked at Taichi who, go figure, was the speaker. "I, Yamato Ishida, here in writing, offer up my will. Takeru, my adorable little brother," Tai snickered again, "you've got my musical abilities—but only to some extent—so you've got my musical instruments. Hikari, my sister-in-law, as an astronaut, I will have plenty of documents, charts, and contraptions dealing with space. As a teacher, I think these might all come in handy for you."

The two smiled up at him, each content with the gifts he awarded to them. "To Mimi and Taichi, I leave both of you some money. Mimi, you deserve millions for being able to put up with Tai and his appetite. Use some of the money to buy food and cooking supplies and use some of it to treat yourself to a gift. Taichi, your money can fund whatever leisure activities you choose to partake in. Hopefully the two of us are still hanging out at that age, and we can use some of it to go down to the arcade and game places so I can beat your butt at them."

"You wish, Yamato. You only wish."

"Yamato…" Ms. Greene offered a warning notice.

"Sorry. To Koushiro and Gwen, I too bequeath some computer games. What can I say? Koushiro, I know of your love for computers, and with these games, you and your wife can have some time together."

Ms. Greene was smiling, obviously getting a kick out of that gift, making note of it on the paper she had. "Ryo and Megumi, my twins, keep up the Ishida name. I offer you my money, cars, and strong tradition. The future only looks bright for the two of you."

He paused before continuing on. "And to my wife, Sora…"

I took a deep breath, holding it in in anticipation for his response. Come on, Yama…

"Sora, I was stupid. I let my fears get to me, something I should have gotten over by now. I ask for a chance…I'm sure you know what I mean. We don't have to be perfect like everyone expects us to be. As long as I'm around you, I'll be happy."

A small smile again formed on my face. Our senses sure did return. Now, we just need to talk together, not in front of a class of twenty-two other students and one teacher. "To you I leave old photographs full of memories of the past to keep a smile on your face in addition to the money and house. That is my will."

Silence was becoming very common in our classroom. Suddenly, whispers sprouted out, as if a bunch of loud noisy birds were in the room. "Very well done, Yamato." Ms. Greene said through the now loud class. Everyone was trying to decipher the hidden meaning in our messages to each other.

No one was too dense. I could tell they knew something had happened between the two of us, and we were seeking to start anew. Oh well, what they don't know will definitely not kill them.

With a nod to our teacher, knowing what she was going to tell him, the blond headed over to where I was sitting. "Any volunteers?" Everyone was quiet once again with no takers. "Okay, as your husband has already gone, why don't we hear from you, Mimi?"

The girl stood up and moved to the front. But I wasn't paying attention to her.

Yamato slowly slid down against the wall, sitting down next to me. I looked up into his gorgeous eyes. "I'm sorry,"

"Sor, it was as much my fault as yours." Yamato whispered the words, afraid of anyone else hearing. But we didn't have to worry as they were all listening to Mimi speak. "It was stupid of me to freak out like that."

I shook my head. "No it wasn't. The fears you hold are completely understandable. I knew that then and now. I didn't react the way I should have, even if I was having a bad day."

We were both silent for a moment, gathering our thoughts. Mimi's voice carried in the background. "I give all my clothes and jewelry to my wonderful daughter, Sakura. I know she'll be beautiful and charming in the future. I just hope she doesn't have Taichi's hair…"

"My hair is fine, thank you very much. She'll probably be pink-obsessed if anything." Tai muttered a few places from me. "Too bad we couldn't have gotten a boy."

Smiling, trying to keep myself from laughing at their antics, I faced the blond. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Do you want to be with me?"

He knew my answer, but I knew—given his lingering fears—he wanted reassurance. "I did offer you my heart…"

Yamato gave off a light laugh. "And you know my feelings. Sora, believe me when I say I love you. I've never been one for commitment, and you know that about me. But I want to be with you. I want a commitment with you. I want a future with you. I love you." I turned my face from his at the comment. "Sor?"

"To Yamato and Sora, two of my closest friends, I leave my music equipment and art supplies, respectively. The two of you are fantastic at what you do. Oh, and I leave you some money for baby and children necessities, particularly clothes. Your kids have hit a hereditary jackpot!" Light laughter emerged, some of it coming from Yamato and me.

I turned my attention back to the blond. He sounded so hurt and unsure when he called my name. "Yamato, I'm pretty sure I love you too…"

His head perked up at those words before falling back down. "But…"

I placed my hand on his cheek, and our eyes locked again. "I don't want to dive headfirst into this. We need to take this slowly even if we understand and admit how strong our feelings for each other are. We'll fall apart if we rush into anything."

"I get what you're saying, and truthfully, I really respect you for saying that and for thinking about my own needs and wants as well. Jumping into this won't help my fears. If I want to get rid of them, it's going to take time. Friendship, very close friendship for that matter, to love isn't the easiest thing. Just as my brother and Hikari. They've gone back to being friends and are going to wait until they're older to date each other, should they not find someone else. You and I are ready, though; I'm sure of it. Though I still carry those same fears I had the other night, I believe that with you as my girlfriend and friend, I will overcome them."

I blushed at the comment and his sincere words. "And you can help me with whatever I need to get through, particularly on bad days. Together we can make it."

His hand found mine and squeezed it. Yama leaned down and murmured, "I would kiss you now, but it would draw too much attention. I'll save it for later."

I beamed at him. "I'd like that."

He rested his arms behind his back, ready to listen to Mimi's will. But suddenly he turned back to me. "I should've said this before, but I'm so incredibly sorry for running from you on Friday night. Even if I was freaked out, I…"

My hand over his lips silenced him. "And I'm sorry for being a bitch. It's in the past, Yama. I want to focus on the future, not linger on the past."

He gave me an irresistible smile. "That sounds like a plan."

Now in a comfortable silence, knowing we had resolved the issue, Yamato and I turned back to hear the end of Mimi's speech.

"And finally to my husband, Taichi. I offer you money and the house because I know you won't want my car. Well, though we didn't ask to be together—and truthfully, neither of us really wanted it—I'm actually glad we got paired together. I learned a lot on the way and had fun between the arguing and antagonizing. I learned a lot about you, granted a good deal was unwanted…"

"…you bet, babe!" The brunette's cheeky reply resounded through the room.

Mimi laughed before continuing on. "I guess I just have to say thank you. This concludes my will."

Applause followed, as it had with every will before. Mimi approached Tai and their daughter. The boy stood up, awkwardly looking at her. "Well, Meems, it was nice being married to you if only for awhile."

"Nice? It's a relief it's done," she joked.

Tai smirked at her. "That true, but you know you'll miss me."

"Miss making fun of you, maybe. But, it actually was a lot of fun."

They glanced uncertainly at each other, unsure of how to end their conversation and well aware of everyone watching them. Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen. Finally Tai came up with an idea.

He stuck out his hand.

Mimi looked at it, as if not believing the gesture. Slowly, as no other plan came to mind, the girl extended her own, shaking his outstretched hand. They both let go rather quickly and darted off in opposite directions.

Yamato and I watched as Koushiro began to laugh, nudging Takeru next to him. "I've never seen Mimi that quiet."

The younger blond snickered. "Even when you kiss her?"

As the boy genius blushed, Yama and I exchanged a chuckle. We sat back, waiting for the next person to go and the seniors all eagerly anticipating only one more day left, me being one of them.

The next few days and weeks will be fun. I'm going to miss this class and all it's memories. I should really thank Ms. Greene for coming up with the idea to play the game as it was kind of responsible for getting the blond rock star and me together. But somehow, after she reads our journals or just from instinct as it is, I have a feeling Ms. Greene already knows…

A/N: Good Lord; I think my fingers are going to fall off. Please review, everyone. I put a lot of time and effort into this chapter—you don't know how many times I wrote it, edited it, added more, deleted some, etc—and I would love to know your thoughts. One more chapter left. Hope you liked it and please review!


	15. The Game of Life

The Game of Life

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

Well, the end of another story. This fic's been a wild ride from the very beginning. I usually had no idea where parts were going, and things would just come to me. At times, I wasn't happy where this went and didn't really like what I had, but you all and your fantastic reviews kept me going. Thank you guys for all the encouragement, criticism, and the works. As for the way this ends couple-wise, I couldn't decide if it should be Michi or Koumi. So my decision…it's neither. I tried to base most of this off the show, but I couldn't help throwing in some twists and turns along the way. Sorry to anyone who particularly wanted either of those couples.

I've had a request to do this story from Yamato's point of view (from **Crazy Girl Sarah**). I had never really thought about it before, but I'm really liking the idea now. There's a chance this could become a reality, but it depends on if people want it, how much time I have, and what all is going on in my life…senior year is going to be hectic. Keep an eye out for it if it does come, but right now, I'm thinking it won't.

Thank you everyone for sticking with this story, particularly those like **blondie121147** and **sorato-takari **who have been here since the beginning . It was good to have you guys onboard. So, please enjoy this very long chapter, and don't forget to review!

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_**_ There's a bit of one-sided michi in the flashback part, but that's about it. I hope it lives up to your expectations, though. _

**_Eat Lollies and Be Happy:_**_ Thanks for all four reviews. No, I've never had anything like that happen to me before. Don't worry; I like long reviews!_

**_Schafi:_**_ Glad you liked it!_

**_Raquel:_**_ Thank you for the review and nice words! No, I've never been involved in a game this dramatic or anything. We were once assigned jobs and salaries in guidance. But it was nothing big like this. I like michi and koumi, but I really couldn't decide how I wanted this story to go. So I made it a bit of both!_

**_Crazy Girl Sarah:_**_ You were reviewer number 400! Thank you! Actually, I am considering your request. It could happen, but it might not. _

**_My Name is R.C.:_**_ She was a bit "teen angsty" a few chapters ago. But now, she's back to her normal Sora demeanor. And I like that demeanor better than teen angst. Thanks for all your support!_

**_Wishinstahhz:_**_ It's no problem. I don't mind reading all the reviews at once. _

**_Princessstphanie:_**_ Sorry, there is no sequel. I don't have the inspiration or anything for one. I got a request to write another story, based on this, in Yamato's point of view. Maybe I will eventually if I ever get the time._

**_Scorpion05:_**_ You were Daisy Duck? That's cool…we never had to do anything like that in school._

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ Actually, this is Ms. Greene's fist year of teaching. But she is a clever young woman._

**_Calare:_**_ I think I have every story that I'm writing or starting soon planned out. Trust me, there are plenty of chapter. Though "I'm What?", "Artistic Differences", and "Undercover" will all be done before the end of 2005._

**_Shadowcat:_**_ I couldn't get it in without sounding that way. Oh well…you get mushy sometimes. Unfortunately I couldn't escape that._

**_Kitsune-cub:_**_ Thanks for the good words!_

**_Alex/Ariele:_**_ A lot of this chapter came as a result of your review. I wasn't going to do a "future" scenario, but your review convinced me. I had an idea for this chapter, but I ended up using more of yours then mine!_

**_RW Grimm:_**_ Eating chicken the vampiric way? Please elaborate. Lol!_

**_Starr-lover:_**_ Morbidity works. The idea was a bit like that, but it worked out pretty well._

And thanks to:**_ rox (both reviews), Placid Snowflake, Cute-Funky-guRl, DJ-SD, Yume-dream, indigowolf, Mia Kamiya, sora's-evil-twin, sorato-takari, KoumiLoccness, kityos, nyrocat (all three reviews), Ballet Kitty, ennov, Kuroi Black Nightingale, teehee, money makes me smile, Kay, animemistress419, Mew Yukari, darkladyoxion959, Moppy, StarDust002, _****_d/hg&s/yfan4lifeyamatoishida27, thegreatwhitewolf, blondie121147, karone-sakura, _**and**_ Only Secret._**

Chapter 15: The Game of Life

"Aiko, baby, hold still please."

"I am still, Mama." She grinned her father's I'm-a-cutie-and-you-know-it smile up at me, and it _almost_ worked.

"You have to finish getting dressed before we go visit Uncle Taichi and the others."

Her smile, if even possible, grew larger. "And we get to see Daddy! Daddy's coming home today!" It was like she had eaten loads of sugar when in reality I knew she hadn't. That would come later in the day, a result of the celebration at hand and the fact my friends love to spoil her rotten. What can I say; she's an adorable little three year old.

"Daddy is coming home, and everyone's going to be there to welcome him back. So that means you need to get dressed!" I emphasized the last part a bit more, hoping it would make Aiko move faster.

As if a lighting bolt full of energy and ideas struck her on the spot, her brilliant blue eyes sparkled. "Do you think Daddy brought me back a piece of the moon?"

I laughed at her childish comment, ruffling her beautiful blond hair. "We'll have to see, sweetheart. Now no more stalling. You're going to get dressed so we can go. Put on the shirt we made for Daddy."

While my little girl did her best to dress herself—as much as I could ask for a three year old—I smiled at her familiar behavior. She carried so many qualities of both her father and me, and each one stuck out. People who knew us constantly would come up and make that clear. But we wouldn't have it any other way. When it was a positive compliment, we would beam, humbly thanking the person. If it was something a bit more negative, well, we'd blame that trait on the other.

"Mama, I'm done!" she happily proclaimed. I looked down at my daughter, eyeing the clothes I had picked out for her today. "Is Daddy going to like the shirt?"

I grinned again, leaning down to hug her as the doctor had long advised me not to pick anyone up in my condition. I'd have to wait another three months. Her light blue shirt read "Daddy's Lil' Girl". She was also wearing a small khaki skirt and a pair of brown sandals.

"He's going to adore your shirt."

She hugged me back tightly or as tightly as she could with me being six-month's pregnant. Suddenly, Aiko let out a gasp. "He kicked! I felt the baby kick me!"

Watching her eyes shine and shimmer, I took her hand in mine. "Come on, sweetie; let's go see your father…"

* * *

"'Bout time you showed up,"

I rolled my eyes as the tall brunette walked over to the door Aiko and I had just walked in. "Even though you're rich, powerful and famous, Tai, you're still as impatient as you were when we were eighteen."

"What can you do? Old habits die hard."

"Particularly in your case, big brother." Hikari dryly muttered, walking over to us and waving at my daughter. "How are you today, Aiko?"

"Really good! Daddy's coming home. And the baby kicked me when I touched Mama's tummy."

The smile shone through Kari's eyes. "That's good to hear. So how's my favorite pregnant friend doing today?"

I stuck my tongue out at her name as Aiko ran off to play with our friend Jyou's oldest child. "I'm doing pretty well. I'm supposed to go in for a doctor's appointment next week."

"And your husband will be back to go with you as well," Tai proclaimed.

"I know. I'm so glad he's coming back home."

"And back to the same planet."

I snickered at my best friend's comment before something hit me. "Aren't you supposed to be picking him up right now and bringing him here?"

His eyes widened. "Oh. Shit."

"Taichi?" Hikari and I both looked ready to strangle him.

Suddenly his horrible poker face disappeared, and he burst into laughter. "I can't believe you two bought that! I know I don't have the best memory all the time," my mind fondly recalled something from our teenage years—a time when Taichi seemingly forgot a doll with the power to cry and scream, leaving it in his father's van overnight, "but blondie's my best friend. I wouldn't leave him at the airport."

"I would hope not. I want my blondie back next to me _on this planet._"

Tai gulped. Though he knew I was playfully teasing him, he also knew I was serious. I hadn't seen my husband—with the exception of on the news—for a good three months, and it was finally time for him to come back down to earth and back to his family.

With a overly flourished bow, the brunette took off to the doors Aiko and I had come in. Kari let out a laugh before she linked her arm through mine. "Come on; all the others are over here. I bet they can't wait to see you."

I looked around the building we were having our welcome back party in. My gut was telling me Tai had a hand in designing its layout, and truthfully, it wasn't at all surprising. After all, it is his business and building.

After high school, Taichi went off to college here in Tokyo, balancing soccer, studies, the social life and determining what exactly he wanted to become. In the end, after a few shifts, he settled on the seemingly perfect fit for him. I couldn't see him doing anything else—with the exception of playing soccer.

Taichi majored in International Business and now owns a very successful marketing company. He's the CEO of his company and as he predicted he would be, is making some big money. With the exception of Gwen, he's the richest of our group of friends.

And after a few years of searching, dating and more searching, my best friend finally settled down. Her name is Tomiko, and she's a physical therapist at a clinic in the heart of Tokyo. At first we were all wondering how they were going to pull the relationship off. The two are polar opposites, but then again, opposites do attract.

"Sora!"

I beamed as Mimi came running up to me, engulfing me in the biggest hug she could manage. "Mimi, I need to breathe and the baby…"

She pulled away from me immediately, a look of guilt etched across her flawless face. "I'm so sorry! I just haven't seen you in ages. The last time we saw each other, you weren't showing."

"Well," I sarcastically began, "women due tend to get bigger the longer they're pregnant."

It had been nearly half a year since I had last seen my pink-haired friend. She, after graduating from school, went to America for a year to study, surprisingly, the culinary arts and business. We'd all teased her a bit, reminding her of the game we'd played back in Child Development during high school and her remorse at finding out her career was a cook.

But times change and people change, apparently.

Now, if you're ever in the Northwestern part of the United States, and even more recently in and around Tokyo, you're sure to find a _Mimi's._ Specializing in traditional Japanese culinary delights, Mimi has blended in so many cultures and treats to her menu. The whole gang, when we were together for a brief reunion—Taichi's 30th birthday party—ate at her restaurant, and wow…soon they're going to become as frequent as a _McDonald's._ (Not mine!)

She, her husband, and their baby boy live in a nice suburban area somewhere in New York State. Geography was never my best subject…

Koushiro grinned at me, offering up a quick salutation as he chatted with his wife, pointing out different people in the mix of things. She gave me a smile, sending a hello in my direction as we had met a few times before. Koushiro, like the career he received in high school, was working in the field of computers.

He fixed and programmed them, designed web pages and housed a lot that he sold. His business was looking up, and everyone I know goes to him for their computer helps and needs. I stop in there about once every two months. Aiko will sadly not be inheriting any superior computer skills from her father or me; we're a bit illiterate in that field.

"Look who it is…"

"Gwen!" I exclaimed, bidding the others goodbye and rushing over to talk to my friend. "I haven't seen you since…last Monday. Wow, how much prize money did you pick up_ this _time?"

She contemplated the answer in her head. "Too much. I don't know what to do with it at times. You and your astronaut need to come visit Jyou and me sometime. Bring Aiko. She and our daughter obviously get along well."

I smirked at her. "And that, I proudly say, is a trait that came from both her parents."

We idly chit-chat for the next few minutes. Gwen stuck with her tennis aspirations throughout college and now plays as an amateur, hoping to break onto the professional circuit sometime soon. She's won quite a few tournaments in the past year, and I have a feeling that dream could become a reality.

"Look who it is…if it isn't my favorite sister-in-law!"

I burst out laughing at T.K.'s comment, giving him a kiss on the cheek as he approached me. "I'm your _only_ sister-in-law."

He gave a faux look of horror. His voice lowered to just a whisper and he moved in closer, "Don't tell some of these women that. They seem to think my brother is fair game and rumor has it, the We Love Yamato-kun Club has resurfaced."

I formed a mock glare, one that could have been very believable if one didn't know we were playing with a charade. "If that's the case, maybe blondie better stay up on the moon."

Takeru cracked a grin, ending our little grin and giving me a hug. "How have you been doing? And where's my favorite niece at?"

"She's over playing with Jyou and Gwen's daughter. And I'm doing pretty well; can't wait to see blondie, though. What about you?"

His face looked pensive, and it suddenly illuminated with a large grin. "I'm keeping busy. Deadlines at the magazine can get nasty every now and then, but I work with them. Actually, I was thinking of writing a novel soon. A biography of my dear brother's life. Could I get a direct quote from my sister-in-law regarding her dear husband?"

Trying to think of the perfect thing that T.K. wouldn't be expecting, my mind drifted back to a nostalgic time when we were in high school. My thoughts regarding The Game of Life we had once played, the tasks of the class and ultimately its effects had been running nonstop through my head all day.

And then it came to me.

"Yamato Ishida is a hairy goat."

His expression turned from mildly shocked to completely understanding. "It's good to remember this kind of thing after all these years."

"I even remember that," mused Hikari, taking part in our conversation now.

She and Takeru shyly smiled at each other. The two twenty-seven year olds shared an almost secret grin. They had both dated—each other and other people; Hikari at one point was very near to becoming engaged. But she broke it off with the man, realizing she really didn't love him as much as she thought.

The two had been on awkward grounds, Hikari confessing she couldn't stop thinking about him, and Takeru admitting the same. They started to date again, and things were progressing along nicely. Taichi, Yama, and I occasionally "peaked" in to make sure things were running along—subtly giving them a push in the "right" direction.

They'd been together, ironically, since Tai's thirtieth birthday party, six months ago. I had a feeling they'd be leaning toward marriage in the near distant future. We were all hoping so, but we'll just have to see how things play out.

Takeru is a freelance writer for a relatively well known magazine. He says he likes this type of writing, but I can tell sometimes he wishes he didn't have to worry about deadlines and the likes. Kari, on the other hand, loves her job with an undying passion. Ms. Greene, our old Child Development teacher, had given her that job long ago, and Hikari stuck with her calling. She works at a preschool, teaching young children, and I now understand why Aiko loves her so much.

The lights flashed quickly, grabbing everyone's attention. I bid goodbye to my friends and went to search out my daughter. "What's going on, Mama?"

"I think Daddy's here." Taichi always did like to make an entrance. Yamato as well.

"Presenting the man of the hour…or day. He's been off this planet for the past three months so forgive him if he's a little klutzy walking. We'll blame that on the gravity difference." A light chuckle escaped the room as Taichi's speech began. "And forgive him if he's a bit out of it on some events…but here he is, our resident astronaut Mr. Yamato Ishida."

My heart still flutters when I see him after all these years. It's hard to believe we were once awkward little teenagers, lost in a complex game of life and love. Now here we are, twelve years later, the same awkward, crazy teens at heart.

Tai always joked that Yamato would look different. "He's been on another planet, Sor. He probably picked up some weird fashion trend all the aliens are raving about," he assured me just last week.

But that, obviously, wasn't the case. There he stood, probably five people from me, and he looked the way he had when we bid him goodbye at the launch pad three months ago. His hair was tamely gelled back yet a few wild bangs escaped, mischievously landing on his face. His blue eyes, so vibrant and powerful like his daughter's, stuck out in the crowd. Yamato stood a proud six foot three, strong and physical as his training made him. And his smile…it looked like he would've moved heaven and earth just to get back here and see everyone. He had melancholically revealed to me over the phone one night how much he missed everyone and earth. I have a feeling he won't be flying up to the moon again anytime soon.

But that won't bother him. He likes his job back here behind a desk just fine. When he took the job—one I never would've pictured him at if not for The Game and everything I learned about him then—Yama made sure the hours were not strenuous, and we wouldn't become his father. Blondie works for a private space administration through the government. He and a few people are busy planning a community on the moon! His eye's light up when you talk to him about it. Yama researches all sorts of things. The group is plotting out houses, developments, supply stocks…all varieties of necessities that could one day be used in the future.

So how did a researcher end up on the moon?

After working very closely with the space administration, Yamato's bosses gained permission for one of their researchers—after plenty of testing and training—to journey up to the moon, gathering more materials and data for their research. The group of men and women my husband work with are quite a bit older than him. He got the nod for his age, health, and physical attributes. And the rest is just history.

Aiko and I, her hand locked tightly in mine, slowly made our way over to where Yamato was happily having a reunion with his parents. Our eyes linked together; we developed the habit of knowing when the other's presence was near over the years.

He hugged his mother once more and shook his dad's hand before making a beeline for the two of us.

"I missed you so much!" he exclaimed while showering me with kisses.

"I missed you too! I'm so glad you're back, blondie." I mumbled against his lips as we feverishly kissed each other. It was, needless to say, a very welcomed reunion.

"Daddy!"

Yamato pulled his lips away from mine, grinning from ear to ear as he picked his daughter up in his arms and held her tightly, kissing her forehead. "Ai! How's my baby doing?"

She giggled, rubbing her forehead against his. "You're back, Daddy! I'm good, but I missed you _tons_ Daddy."

"I missed you too, Ai. And since I was up on the moon and didn't get to see you on your birthday, I brought you a present back." Her eyes shone like stars. "But first you have to answer three questions for me."

"Okay," I wondered where he was going with this.

"Number one: did you take good care of Mommy?"

"Yes! And the baby too. The baby kicked me when I touched Mama's tummy!"

"Good. Number two: were you a good girl?" She only had to give him _his_ patented cutie look, eliciting a chuckle from his lips. "And number three: did you keep Uncle Taichi out of trouble?"

She stared intently at Yamato. "Silly, Daddy!"

"That's my girl!" he beamed, giving her another kiss and grabbing a bag he'd set on a nearby table. "Well, sweetie, you passed. Happy belated birthday!"

Aiko opened up the bag and squealed. "Mama look! A moon rock! It's a moon rock!" Her father set her down so she could grip it with both hands. "Thank you, Daddy! I'm going to go show Grandma and Grandpa."

She darted of, clutching the rock to her like it was a bird's egg ready to hatch. I had a strong feeling both Yamato's parents and mine would get to see the moon rock plenty of times before the day was over.

I felt the comforting grasp of Yamato's arms around me and molded into them the best I could. "Koi, it's so good to be back." He buried his lips in my neck, and I sighed against the touch.

"How was everything up there?"

His face broke into another gigantic grin. Though I'd talked to him loads of times, I knew it'd be so much better in person. "It was amazing, Sor. Wow…it's so hard to describe. One of those once in a lifetime events you just have to do. But I've got to say, I'm happy to be back on the ground."

"But, sadly, your head will always be up in space."

"So how have my beautiful, expecting wife and rambunctious toddler been?" He ignored the last question, choosing instead to pull me into his arms. Those were two things I had missed more than anything the past few months: the feeling of being wrapped in his warm embrace _and_ our playful barters. "My, you've…grown since I last saw you."

I rolled my eyes. "Most pregnant women tend to do so." I looked him over once more. "And it seems like you kind of…got skinnier. All the space food not agree with you?"

"That's going to be the best part of being home; eating real food again."

"Not seeing your pregnant wife and child?" I glared.

He gave me a cheeky smile. "Of course, that comes after seeing my sarcastic, incredibly beautiful, pregnant wife and adorable little three year old." Yamato placed a hand on my now bulging stomach. His eyes grew in almost the same fashion as Aiko's. "The baby just kicked me too!"

"_He_ obviously missed his father. That or _he_ is going to be a soccer star someday."

A wolfish grin found the blonde's face. "Yeah, and…wait…he?"

"Doctor told me last week. Apparently Aiko's going to have a little brother."

"If you weren't pregnant right now," he leaned over, hot breath whispering into my ear, "I'd either pick you up and swing you around or take you back to our house—and you _would be_ pregnant very soon. I like choice two…"

My face turned crimson, and we both knew he won that round of bantering. I kissed his lips to distract him. "A kiss'll do for now. But come on; I know a lot of people who want to see you, as surprising as that is…"

* * *

"There was this really odd rock, and I kept staring at it for a week thinking it was really familiar. The next thing I know, it hits me. It looked _exactly_ like Tai's hair back when we were in high school and college."

Our group of friends burst out laughing at Yamato's comment. It was strange; even after all these years, all the adventures life took us on and all the ups and downs, we were still very close. Everyone had cut time out of their busy schedules to be here. The people before me right now, all people who had participated in "The Game of Life", were some of the closest people to me. There had been romances in the group, break-ups, make-ups, the whole kit and caboodle. But we grew stronger because of it.

College separated everyone quite a bit. Taichi and Yamato had stayed in Tokyo while I headed off to Kyoto. Yama and I debated on what effect it would have on our growing relationship. We had indeed started off slow, taking each day as it came. Things were looking up for us when I left.

We decided to take a break for the first two years of college. A long-distance romance appeared hard. The two of us, though both knowing we were in love, agreed to date others if we felt like it, but we both were certain the future held a place for us together.

It happened just like that. I had gone out casually with a few guys, but none of them were blondie. It was as simple as that. He told me the same thing. After our third year, now older, hopefully wiser and more mature, we knew we were ready to keep our relationship together. Over the years we had become, if possible, even closer. Sure, there were days we absolutely loathed each other, wished some horrible curse befell the other and wondered if we were doing the right thing. But it all worked out in the end.

Yama proposed to me a year after graduation. We got married at the age of twenty-five, and Aiko was born when we were twenty-seven. We'll be celebrating our five year anniversary in December. The others around us gradually settled down as well, though Yamato and I were the first to be married. Our children were all good acquaintances, and I had a feeling many of them would be friends in the future.

"Koi, who's she," whispered the blond next to me. I looked up, snapping out of my daydreams, at a very familiar face. It was a woman—probably around her mid thirties or early forties. But she looked so familiar.

"You mean you don't remember your old teacher, Mr. Ishida? I'm disappointed."

"Ms. Greene?"

She grinned at me. "Well, I once was. I'm married now, so it's just a little bit different."

Our former teacher walked around the circular table we were all sitting at, shaking everyone's hands. "Takeru invited me here. It seems he's been thinking about…I'll let you explain."

The younger blond smiled at us all. "I'm planning to write an article for the magazine about our Child Development class years back. It's going to be called "The Game of Life", and I'm going to explain things about the game and the people behind the game. I invited Ms. Greene here to relive memories, as she's still having her classes play this game."

"I was digging through my grade book the other day, and came across your grade reports. I kept them as examples for my current classes considering many of you are relatively well known."

She looked in our direction, settling her eyes on my own. I guess it was partly true. I, along with many of the others, was becoming a name many people knew. After studying art and graphic design in college at Kyoto, I became a graphic design artist. My very close friend and mentor Ayami Tanaka hired me in the division of her company that dealt with that trend. Shirt designs and shirts were my specialties, and they were becoming increasingly more popular. Ayami then asked me to start working on other types of clothing, and as of recently, I've started designing all sorts of things. My daughter's ensemble along with my own all came from things I've made.

Talk around the table began, all there reminiscing about the days of Child Development and the Game that, literally, took over our lives. I could still remember the details of it. Yamato made fun of me a lot because at times I forgot little details for current things but had fond recollections of our high school days, able to remember them like yesterday. "You must be getting old and loosing your memory," he had once joked.

I glared at him but soon laughed. "If you think I'm getting old, you're one to talk. You're older than me, Ishida…"

The current memory my friends were disusing played out very well in my mind. I would never forget that day…

* * *

**-12 Years Earlier-**

"What's taking him so long?"

"Patience, big brother. Koushiro had a meeting of the school's computer club. It's the last one of the year."

"Well, I would hope so!" Taichi sarcastically replied, slouching down in the hot water. "School's been officially out for the past two hours, fourteen minutes and fifty-two seconds."

"Tai, we've been out of school for two weeks."

I smirked at the blond resting next to me. "The three of us have been out of school since then, but everyone else got out today. You and I both know, though, that we've been counting down the time till they finished so we could come here."

He stretched, wrapping his left arm around me in the process. "That's true. Meems, thanks for inviting us all over."

"Oh it's no problem," she sincerely replied, walking back into the room we were all in with the beverages she'd gone to get. Like the good hostess she was, she handed everyone the requested drink before climbing back into the hot tub.

That was where we all found ourselves today. School was finally out for break, or in the case of Yamato, Taichi, and myself, done for good. Sure there was college to think about, but at the current moment, it was the least of my concerns.

The younger blond lazily yawned, slinking back into the large hot tub as the water jets started up. "Guys, I'm kind of bored. Can we do something until Koushiro shows up?"

"I have an idea!" exclaimed a suddenly perky Tai.

"This should be good," Gwen snickered, speaking up for the first time.

Hikari glared at her brother. "If it includes the word "strip", count me out."

"Don't worry; I wasn't even thinking along those lines. But now that you mention it…"

Mimi gave her once husband a reproachful glance. "Taichi, just tell us your idea."

"Well, since we have some drinks and all before us, I was thinking we could play a game of "I Never" up until Koushiro comes. And since we're all so antsy about seeing how we did in the class and opening up our grade reports, why don't our questions revolve around the game?"

All eyes searched around the area for anyone who disagreed. We did need something to pass the time. And we were all rather anxious to see how we did in that class. Our grade—at least in that class—had just been released. Ms. Greene had sent back a portfolio for each of us with a detailed analysis of our work in her class. And now, as we had agreed on the last day Tai, Yama, and I were there, we would all open them together and read them out loud. Mimi's hot tub sounded like the best place to go over our results. After all, she did promise we would have a party at her place when the game was complete.

"How do you play again?" Kari wondered. "Can someone go over the rules?"

"It's simple, really," explained Yamato. "If I start it out, I'll say something like "I never played music in a rock band." If that statement is false, as it is for me, I would take a drink of my pop. Normally you play this with alcohol but…"

"…Mom and Dad would know if I raided the cupboards." Mimi supplied. "And besides, I'd be afraid to see how some of us handle their alcohol."

Tai's eyes widened. "Why are you looking at me?"

Resisting the urge to laugh at her brother, Kari smiled at the older blond. "But the questions are going to be about the game, right?"

"Yep," he nodded. "Here, I'll go first. Everyone ready? Okay…I never copied off one of my spouse's homework assignments."

I watched as Takeru slowly took a sip of his pop, glaring at his brother in the process. "You're lucky Koushiro's not here, Takeru. He wouldn't let you get away with that," an amused Gwen stated.

"I can believe that."

I smirked at Mimi, knowing full well it was true. Yamato playfully nudged me. "Not like you know or anything, Sor. It's your turn now."

"Let's see; I never had a mishap with my child or children."

I was very surprised to see everyone take a drink of their drinks this time. "What happened to you two?" Taichi gave his sister a suspicious look.

"It was his fault," her eyes darted over to the younger blonde's. "He never read the instructions on how to get the doll to quiet down. We spent nearly five minutes trying to find the place to insert the key."

"Hey, you didn't exactly read the instructions either."

A guilty smile worked its way to her lips. "I guess you're right."

"What about you, Gwen?"

"I kind of, sort of, left our doll in my room when I went to pick up the mail one day. I got sidetracked talking to some neighbors and when I returned, let's just say Dad wasn't too happy with me. But don't tell Koushiro this…I never really told him."

"My turn," Mimi smiled from her spot on the other side of me. "I never lied to my spouse."

There was actually a big surprise in response to her statement. While Yama, Takeru, Hikari, Gwen and I all took long drinks of our beverages, she and Tai both sat back idly, relaxing in the warm waters of the hot tub. Takeru spit out his lemonade in shock. "The two of you _never_ lied to each other?"

Mimi and Tai exchanged a glance. "There was never a need to."

"Yeah, if he did something stupid I would find out about it and then yell at him and vice versa."

Taichi grinned like a jack-o-lantern. "The way I saw it, telling the truth all the time gave me more opportunities to antagonize her."

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Gwen, it's your turn."

She wore a pensive expression. "I never…thought my partner and I would get a divorce." Gwen, Taichi, and Mimi all drank away. Noticing the questioning look I offered her, Gwen provided an explanation. "Koushiro and I got along; we just didn't really…click together. We haven't been friends as long as all of you, and some days both of us were wondering how we didn't get paired up with someone closer to us."

Her reasoning did make sense. Tai smirked at us all. "My turn…I never got along with the person I had to job shadow."

I was the only one to take a drink. "What all happened with you guys?"

"The guy I was with was a complete bore. I learned some stuff, but he was boring." Yamato grinned at me. "Not everyone got someone cool and young like you."

"The teacher I job shadowed scared me. She was so strict and mean. I felt really bad for her students." Hikari supplied.

Takeru nodded his head. "The guy at the newspaper scared me away from becoming a journalist. Newspaper writing does not look like fun after being around him."

"The lady at the pharmacy was okay. I just never liked people like her who were overly perky and cheerful 24/7. She just had one of those fake smiles that I hate."

"The cook Ms. Greene sent me to," Mimi began, "made food I didn't like. Then he kept asking me to taste test it for him. I didn't know what half the things were."

Tai smiled. "I was with this ambassador chick. She was WAY too uptight. I couldn't stand being around her."

"The woman I went to was awesome," I stated. "Ayami was really nice, and she helped me out since then."

"Lucky," a jealous Taichi replied. "At least…'bout time you showed up! Now we can open up our grades!"

Koushiro walked into the room, Child Development portfolio in his hands. "Sorry I'm late." He took off his t-shirt, swimming trunks already on, and climbed into the hot tub.

"Time for one last question, though." Takeru called from Yamato's other side. "I never had a crush on my partner."

I watched as one by one people started drinking. A smirk found my face, growing larger by the second, as Tai took a very long sip. "I knew it!" I exclaimed, nearly spitting out the water I was drinking

"Tai, you had a crush on Mimi?" his sister squealed.

The bushy-haired teen's face heated up. "Yeah…so?" he replied, unable to think of any other reply. "It was only a really little one. Lasted for like a day at the most."

Mimi was trying not to laugh. "You had a crush on me? If only I had known…it would've been _so_ much fun to tease you about it."

"Well I'm surprised you didn't have a crush on me."

"I have a boyfriend."

"So, Sora and Yama are together and I know Sor's got a crush on me."

The blond and I looked at each other. "I do?"

"That's news to me to," he answered. "Yagami, have you been hitting on my girlfriend?"

Tai gulped. "Let's read the wills…huh guys…"

An hour later we were all laughing at what our documents had said. Everyone passed, as it was a pass/fail grade, but surprisingly, Ms. Greene had the best things to say about Taichi.

"I was impressed you managed to hold things together, particularly after leaving your child in your car. I heard about it from Mimi, Tai, I know you didn't write about it in your own journal," the brunette read out loud. "But it was a good experience having you in class. I learned plenty about you along the way, and it was a pleasure to teach you. Good luck in your future endeavors."

Mimi's was similarly the same. "Congratulations on _not_ getting a divorce. I know it took a lot on both your parts for your relationship to last, but you two stuck it out. Your assignments were all well done, and your journal was impressive."

It seemed every person's was similar to their spouses. Takeru's and Hikari's each mentioned their choice about developing a romantic relationship outside of class. Koushiro's and Gwen's dealt with their ability to successfully work with someone they didn't know well. And Yamato's and mine were very much the same.

"Yamato, I want to commend you on your work that you've done. Everything you handed in was impressive. You and Sora worked very well together, and your marriage was probably one of the most successful in the class. But, as you both learned, or so I've come to believe, it's not all rainbows and butterflies. Thank you for your excellent effort. Good luck in the future."

"Sora, I was very happy to teach you here in my first year. I enjoyed watching you grow in this class, from your own experiences and your "marriage" to Yamato. The two of you experienced both the ups and downs of this class, but I was proud of the way you overcame all the obstacles, particularly children. Good luck with everything you do. I don't know what's going on with you and Yamato right now, but I wish you the best of luck with it. Remember, if you set your mind to it, you can achieve it..."

* * *

Takeru's laughter at Tai's interpretation of his will brought me back to reality. "Penny for your thoughts?"

I looked at the my former teacher. "I was just reliving some of the good memories."

"I take it things worked out for you in the end," she smiled, referring to my open grade report in front of you.

"Thank you for your confidence in us. That class taught me so much, things I've never imagined."

"It's no problem," the woman patted my shoulder, wishing a congratulations—after pointing at my stomach—and wandering over to talk to Hikari.

As I looked around the room, I looked from face to face. I never imagined, back in the days when we first played this game over twelve years ago, things would end up this way. Things built off the foundation of the class, learning from everything that happened and improving on it. This class taught me so much about the little things in life—friendship, working hard and love—that come into play every day in my life.

I never thought this would be the way my life would end up. Yamato is an astronaut and researcher, I work for a well-known clothing line, our daughter is an energetic toddler full of life, and we're expecting our first son in the next few months. It's ironic how much The Game effected our lives.

As if knowing my thoughts, Yamato pulled me to him. "It's crazy how things worked out."

"You're telling me."

"I love you, Sora."

"I love you too, Yama." I answered, responding to the long kiss he gave me. Resting my head on his shoulder, I smiled contently, glancing out at everyone in the room.

People often compare life to a game. And, quite honestly, it's so easy to tell it is. The ups and downs, triumphs and failures, goods and bads…they're all part of life's little games. I do believe life can be called a game.

And one thing's for sure, despite everything that happens to me…I'm very much enjoying this game we call life and the things it brings.

**-The End-**

**Well, it's finally complete. In case you were wondering, this chapter takes place 12 years after where chapter 14 left off. It doesn't exactly follow the Digimon show time line for the future, but I didn't exactly always follow it...like with the takari ending in here. Please let me know what you guys think one last time. Please review, and thank you all for reading this story!**


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